It's a fact of life that if you have more than a five minute conversation with me, at some point the topic of food is going to come up. One of the upsides is that I get inspiration to try new dishes. Sonya, my nail tech, was eating her lunch while I was sitting waiting for my nails to dry and I got to see (and sniff) a dish she'd described to me before, her chicken cutlet and artichoke bake. While it had always sounded like something I would like, getting to smell it sealed the deal. The beauty of this dish is its simplicity. What follows is my rendition:
Serves 2-4
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 egg plus 1 egg white, beaten
flour
panko bread crumbs
vegetable oil
1-2 cans of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/2 cup Italian dressing (feel free to use low fat or fat free)
6 oz yolk free egg noodles
1 cup shredded mozzarella (my addition)
Set up a station to dredge the cutlets in flour, dip in egg, then cover in panko bread crumbs. Place uncovered in the refrigerator for at least a half hour. This helps the bread crumbs adhere to the chicken better. Fry in vegetable oil 3-4 minutes on each side or until browned. Drain on paper towels and let cool for 15-20 minutes (to keep the breading from falling off). Cut into bite sized pieces.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
While the chicken cools, prepare the egg noodles according to package instructions. Drain.
In a 9 X 13 baking dish toss the noodles, chicken, artichokes, and salad dressing. Top with the cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until heated through.
**********************************
TASTE NOTES
This was a very simple dish to prepare. I prefer thighs to breasts, but you could certainly use conventional chicken cutlets. I love all the ingredients and so I enjoyed the dish a lot. I will share that I am not a "sauce" person, so you might want to increase the amount of salad dressing if you find the bake dry. Thanks, Sonya, for a new easy weeknight meal.
