Panko, I Finally Get It - Zesty Italian Baked Chicken

My goal is to try one new recipe each week and my Google Reader is full of possibilities. But many of them feature Panko as a key ingredient. Let me just start by saying I have always been a traditional breadcrumbs kind of girl so wasn't sure what all the hubbub was about. Well, now I get it and I am a convert. The crunchiness the Panko added to the recipe was amazing. I now want to Panko encrust everything before it goes in the oven.

I modified the original recipe since I thought it needed some crunch. To view the version I started with, click here. My version is below. Served with a salad, corn and rice made with chicken stock, this was a great meal.

Zesty Italian Baked Chicken

Ingredients
1/2 cup Zesty Italian reduced fat/low fat dressing
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into smaller pieces (I tried to make each piece about 6 oz./1 serving)
1/2 cup Parmesan grated cheese
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
1/2 cup finely shredded CoJack cheese

Directions
1. Pour the dressing into a resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken and seal the bag. Turn the bag over several times to evenly coat the chicken with the dressing. Refrigerate the chicken in the dressing for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade.
4. In a large bowl mix the Parmesan cheese, CoJack cheese, Italian seasoning and Panko. Dip the chicken into the mixture, turning to evenly coat both sides. Place in shallow baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Spread left over mixture on top of chicken pieces.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is 170 degrees.

Print this post