The way to put a smile on Bo’s face most nights is to string together “chicken” and “breaded” when describing dinner. It’s summer though, and the last thing I felt like last night while in a rush to get dinner ready was heating up some oil, and dealing with the clean up. Also, we could stand to eat a bit more baked, and a bit less fried. So, while laying out my seasoned flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, I pitched it to him as a summer take on chicken parmigiana, and he bought it hook, line, and sinker.
It didn’t hurt that in the end it looked incredible, and tasted so sweet and fresh. I didn’t want to smother the top of this “healthy parmigiana” with cheese either, so instead, I just mixed some Parmesan in with the breadcrumbs and left it at that. Neither of us missed it, and the kids loved scooping up the tomato salsa and eating it like a salad on the side.
Just in case I needed more of a selling feature, I paired it with some brown butter and sage Parmesan mashed potatoes. The idea popped into my head because I have some sage sitting in the fridge for another dinner this week, and omg, they were freaking incredible. These are going to be a must for every holiday for me now. First thing first, lets keep it in summer while we still can.
Baked Summer Chicken with Fresh Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even out the thickness
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (I like Italian style)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup flour
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
Tomato Salsa
- 1 pint sweet cherry or plum tomatoes, sliced into quarters
- ½ cucumber, peeled and diced into ¼" chunks
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (use the best you have)
- 5 fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin ribbons
-
Balsamic glaze for drizzling (Acetum Blaze Balsamic Glaze 2 Count 12.9 Fluid oz. Each
)
) Instructions
Chicken
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF with a rack in the middle position. Get out a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
- Get out three wide, shallow dishs. In the first one add the two eggs and beat with a fork to combine. In the second bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper. In the last bowl whisk together the breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Take the chicken breasts, one at a time, and dip into the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour, then dip in the egg. Finally, place into the breadcrumbs and coat completely, pressing them into the chicken when necessary. Place on the baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown and reaches 175ºF on an instant read thermometer. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Tomato Salsa
- While the chicken is baking, make the tomato salsa.
- Put the tomatoes, cucumbers, salt, balsamic vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil in a medium bowl. Gently toss together and set aside. Drain the excess liquid before serving, or use a slotted spoon.
- Top the chicken breasts with a generous helping of tomato salsa, then drizzle with the balsamic glaze.
Let me know below!