Butter Breast of Chicken -- So much flavor you'll forget it is a chicken breast

When it comes to chicken,  I prefer dark meat for its flavor and juiciness.  Personally it is difficult for me to get excited about chicken breast.  So many times it dries out and is tough.  If you don't get an organic product or pound out your chicken, you are looking at a chicken breast that would need a D cup bra.  Yikes!

I was flipping through cookbooks yesterday on the hunt for a chicken recipe, and happened upon a recipe for Butter Breast of Chicken (recipe follows).  This recipe peaked my curiosity as it included many flavors I love.  Lemon zest is a tangy addition to any baked chicken dish.  Adding it to butter that will melt through the baking process in the middle of this rolled chicken breast could not be bad.

RECIPE:  Butter Breast of Chicken

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten
2 cups panko breadcrumbs

In a small bowl, combine the butter, lemon zest, white pepper and salt.  Spoon the butter onto a piece of plastic wrap.  Shape the butter into a log, wrap tightly in the plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for 5 minutes or until firm.

Put 1 chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness, about 1/4 inch.  Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.  Place one quarter of the butter in the center of each breast and roll the chicken around the butter.  Secure each roll with a couple of toothpicks.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Set up three shallow dishes:  one with flour, one with beaten egg, and one with the breadcrumbs.  Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, next dip in egg, then pat in breadcrumbs.  Set the chicken in a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes or until well browned and the chicken is no longer pink in the center.

Courtesy of A Southerly Course by Martha Hall Foose (2011)

What's the result?  A taste sensation!  The butter keeps the chicken breast moist and juicy, and the lemon adds a tangy citrus kick.  The crunchy panko then gives this an additional dimension of crunchy goodness.  While the recipe did not call for seasoning the flour, I did add a little salt and pepper.  I also used Italian seasoned panko breadcrumbs.

When I rolled the chicken, I found it easier to roll, then go through the dredging process, and finish with the toothpicks to hold in place.  The butter is firm enough to hold the chicken together when breading.  The toothpicks are probably  more important during the cooking process as the butter melts.

Chicken on the baking rack on a cookie sheet

I made a slight modification to how I baked the chicken from a tip I have picked up along the way.  I place a metal cooling rack on a cookie sheet, and spray it generously with cooking spray.  Keeping the chicken elevated off the baking sheet ensures that it is crunchy all the way around.  Now a casualty is we lost some of the buttery goodness that oozed out of the ends, but the chicken kept plenty of that flavor.

I underestimated what a hit this would be with the family.  I ended up with six cutlets, but there was a little arguing over who got the last piece.  Next time I need to make a couple more!