Chicken Breasts With Pumpkin Seed Crust Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Toast the pumpkin seeds and ancho powder in a saute pan on medium high heat. Remove, crush in a mortar and pestle, and place in a large bowl. Add salt, pepper, and fresh thyme.
• Stuff the goat cheese underneath the chicken skin of the breast, then dredge the chicken on both sides in the mixture and remove. Heat a saute pan on medium heat, add olive oil. Place the chicken, skin side down into the pan.
• When it becomes golden, flip the chicken and place into the oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with a green salad or favorite vegetables.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Mix the mustard, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the cayenne in a medium bowl. Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat completely; set aside. In a medium shallow bowl, combine the parmesan and panko. Dredge the chicken pieces in the panko mixture, coating evenly and heavily, and pressing the coating into the meat. Put the chicken on a rack set over a baking sheet, spray with a quick burst of cooking spray and put the sheet in the middle of the oven. Bake until the chicken is golden and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting or serving.
• Photograph by Charles Masters

Steps:

• Place the chicken in a pot with just enough water to cover. Sprinkle with salt, and add the peppercorns, bay leaves, quartered onion and herb bundle. Bring to a low boil, and then reduce the heat and poach the chicken until cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the chicken, straining the stock, and then wipe the pot clean and return to the heat. Peel the skin off the chicken breasts and cover to keep warm until the sauce is ready. Dry toast the pumpkin seeds over medium heat until puffed and toasted, 4 to 5 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the toasted seeds for garnish. Puree the remaining seeds in a blender or food processor with 1 cup of the stock, the chopped onion, EVOO, cumin, epazote, if using, cinnamon, tomatillos, lettuce, garlic and chiles. Transfer the pumpkin seed puree to the pot with 2 1/2 to 3 cups of the reserved chicken stock and simmer to develop flavor and thicken, 20 minutes. Adjust the seasonings. Pour the sauce over the chicken and garnishreserved toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve with warm corn tortillas, for wrapping, and minced red onion, for topping. If you would like to serve with a vegetable, steamed or sauteed zucchini is perfect.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Combine 2 tablespoons of the oil with the cumin, coriander, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spiced oil all over the chicken pieces and place on a foil-lined shallow-rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the chicken is golden brown and crisp and a thermometer inserted into the thickest parts registers 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes.
• 2. Meanwhile, toast the pepitas in a large dry skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Cool and coarsely chop. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the cilantro, lime juice, chiles, onions, remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt and toss together.
• 3. Arrange the chicken pieces on a platter and serve with the bowl of salsa on the side, accompanied by Mexican rice and black beans.

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeno; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add pumpkin seeds; cook, stirring often, until puffed, about 5 minutes. Add lettuce, vinegar, and 1 cup water; season with 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until lettuce is tender, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to a blender; add cilantro. Blend on high speed until sauce is very smooth, about 3 minutes. Thin sauce with 2 to 4 tablespoons more water, if needed (it should be pourable).
• Meanwhile, heat grill to medium high; oil grates. Rub chicken with remaining tablespoon oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Serve with sauce.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.
• Mix cheese-flavored crackers, French-fried onions, Italian bread crumbs, sesame seeds, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
• Wash and pat chicken breasts dry. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on one side of each piece and place mayonnaise-side down in the cracker mixture. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the other side of the chicken and cover with the cracker mixture, patting firmly into the chicken. Place chicken breasts on the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cracker mixture on top; lightly spray the chicken with cooking spray.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 35 to 40 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Steps:

• 1. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, tossing and stirring, until they have a wonderful toasty smell, start to brown, and pop around in the pan, about 2 to 3 minutes. When the seeds are completely cool, put them in a food processor and pulse until chopped into small pieces, or put them in a plastic bag, and pound them lightly with a rolling pin. Put the chopped pumpkin seeds in a pie plate. Add the cumin, mix, and reserve. 2. Put each chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound them with the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin, one at a time, to an even 1/4-inch thickness. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper, and rub about 1/2 teaspoon of oil over each breast. Coat the smooth side of each chicken breast with the chopped pumpkin seeds, and place seed side up on a plate. Press the seeds firmly with the palm of your hand to help them adhere to the chicken. 3. Heat the remaining oil in a large nonstick skillet, over medium heat, and cook the chicken breasts, seed sides down, until the meat appears white all around the outside edges, about 4 minutes. Turn the chicken carefully with a spatula and cook until no longer pink in the thickest part, 2 to 3 minutes more. Serve hot.From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.