Best ever Chicken??? Thud!!

For dinner tonight I poofed sauteed chicken. And my husband of almost 23 years said "This is the best chicken you've ever made."

Not only it is unusual for my husband to say anything about dinner unless I..well beg! It is HIGHLY unusual for him to be this complimentary about my cooking.

Let's face it, I'm really not a cook. I'm a baker and cooking, although it can be fun, is really not my thing.

So I'm going to go on a limb here and offer my super special, what-I-had-on-hand-at-the-time recipe.

And I'm so sorry but I did not take a picture of the plated chicken. However, I was testing out my camera for an under hood shot and I did snap a picture of the chicken cooking.

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Almond Bread Crumbs
Recipe adapted from What-I-Had-on-Hand-at-the-Time

2 boneless chicken breasts
2 TBL butter
1/4 c. EVOO
1 c. bread crumbs***
1-2 TBL dried basil
1 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 c. ground almond meal
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 egg
1 TBL water

Option: 1/2 tsp dried tarragon


Mix bread crumbs, basil, marjoram, almond meal, salt and pepper and tarragon. Beat egg and add water. Brush entire chicken breast with egg wash. Dip chicken breasts in bread crumb mix until breast is entirely coated.

Heat butter in heavy bottomed pan. When butter is hot, add EVOO and wait a minute until oil is thoroughly heated. Add chicken breast and saute over med heat, turning once, until juices run clear and chicken breasts are thoroughly cooked but not dry.

***I make my own bread crumbs as I like to use sour dough bread for the crumbs. Sour Dough Bread Crumbs are so good. Just break up the bread into bite sized pieces. Spread out on a cookie sheet and put in 200 degree oven for about 2-3 hours or until bread is thoroughly dried. Once dried you can put bread crumbs into a large plastic zip lock bag and crush into fine bread crumbs with a rolling pin. You may want to keep some larger pieces for croutons. Store in an air tight container or zip lock bag. As long as the bread crumbs are thoroughly dried, they will keep forever.

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