If you are looking for an authentic Mexican Chicken recipe garnered off the back streets of a small village in Mexico, This is not it. This is more a a fusion of chicken cutlet and chicken parmesan with a Mexican feel.
I was not sure what to name this one, I can’t call it “Mexican Chicken Parmesan” cuz, well, there is no “parm” in it. There is a breading/batter, so I thought about “Mexican Fried Chicken”…but I am not deep frying it. Since it is not really authentic Mexican, I finally went simple. Crispy Tex-Mex Chicken. That took almost as long as the meal did.
Crispy Tex-Mex Chicken
Course: MainCuisine: Tex-Mex, MexicanDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
minutes20
minutes40
minutesIngredients
4 chicken breasts , boneless and skinless
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
Fine sea salt and pepper
2 eggs , beaten
1 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup cheddar cheese , shredded
1 cup salsa
sour cream , for garnish
cilantro , for garnish
Directions
- Heat oven to 250 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels.
- Place one chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper on a cutting board. Using a tenderizer, pound the chicken breast until it is a uniform thickness, about 1/4 inch or a tiny bit thicker. Continue with remaining breasts. Cut each flattened breast in half, smaller pieces are easier to handle when frying.
- You will need three pie plates or mixing bowls. In bowl #1 mix flour, chile powder and season with salt and pepper. In bowl #2 beat two eggs. In bowl #3, the bread crumbs.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Working briskly, dredge chicken in flour mixture, then egg mixture and finally bread crumbs. Pressing bread crumbs into the breast. The flour is necessary to get the egg to stick and the egg is necessary for the bread crumbs to stick.
- Place into hot frying pan. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side or until medium brown. Place on a paper towel lined baking sheet and into the warm oven.
- Continue with remaining breasts, being careful to not crowd the pan. When the frying pan gets dry, add additional vegetable oil. The liquid will absorb into the breading (adding flavor!).
- Top each cooked chicken breast with shredded cheddar cheese and place back into the oven to melt, about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove and finish with salsa, sour cream and cilantro.
Notes
- Depending on where you purchase your chicken, the breasts can be large and larger after tenderizing. There is no law that prohibits cutting them into smaller pieces. 🙂 Or you can buy thin cut breasts that will let you skip the tenderizing part. But then you don't get to take any anger out on the chicken. Its a trade off.
