This dish has quickly become a family favorite. Last week I gave Julia a cut-up piece for her dinner. I turned away from her high chair for a minute or two to tidy up the kitchen, and, when I turned back, it had completely vanished. I immediately suspected her of feeding it to our dog Eva (those two are in cahoots), but Eva was upstairs napping. Julia had hoovered it up herself and was anxiously pointing to the remaining portion of the chicken breast left on the counter.
This isn’t just kids’ stuff, though. Yes, in some ways it’s an oversized well-made chicken nugget –crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside– but the flavor is sophisticated as well as accessible. The rich nutty flavors of pistachios, sesame seeds and parmesan are perfectly balanced with the brightness of lemon zest and the fruity tartness of ground sumac, a berry commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine but still seldom used in North America. You can buy sumac in Middle Eastern markets or online at www.kalustyans.com. (For more on this extraordinary source of hard-to-find ingredients, see my post here.)
Ground Sumac
This recipe is easy and relatively quick. To speed things up at dinnertime, I sometimes make the crumbs for the crust in advance and keep it in the refrigerator or freezer, which reduces the cooking time to less than a half hour.
Recipe
(adapted from Chicken in Pistachio, Sumac and Sesame Crumbs in Turquoise: A Chef’s Travels in Turkey by Greg and Lucy Malouf) Serves 4
Ingredients
For the crumbs:
4 ounces fresh bread crumbs (from about a quarter of a one-pound loaf of firm white bread)
1 tablespoon ground sumac
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 ounces unsalted shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
For the chicken:
4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (use the best quality chicken you can find, preferably free-range and vegetarian fed, with no liquid added to the packaging)
2 eggs
about 1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
1. Make the breadcrumbs. You can use packaged breadcrumbs in this dish, but they’re generally too dry and finely ground, which will give your crust a sandy rather than crispy texture. Making your own is quick and easy. Thickly slice the bread, place it on a baking sheet and put it in the oven for about 5 minutes, until it’s dried on the outside, but not colored. Then put the bread slices in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and process until the texture of coarse sawdust. (If the bottom crust is particularly tough, cut it off before toasting the bread.)
2. To the bowl of the food processor, add the pistachios, sumac and lemon zest and pulse briefly. (You don’t want to pulverize the pistachios.)
3. Add the grated parmesan and the sesame seeds and pulse to combine.
4. Beat the eggs with about 2 teaspoons of water in a medium bowl. Season the flour with a couple of large pinches of salt and pepper and place it too in a medium bowl. Spread the crumbs on a plate, and set the three up in a little assembly line near the stove.
5. Place each chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound it to a roughly uniform thickness of about 1/2 inch. A kitchen mallet is best for this, but a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy saucepan will work well too.
6. Lightly salt each chicken breast, dredge each in the seasoned flour, dip in the egg wash and then press into the crumbs on both sides, making sure it’s completely and evenly coated.
7. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers. Cook the coated chicken breasts, two at a time, until they are just golden brown on both sides. Watch them carefully: this should take no more than two minutes per side.
8. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and cook in the oven for about 8 minutes, until it’s just cooked through. (You may need make a small slit and peek inside to tell.) Remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
To keep the meal light and balanced, I like to serve these with nothing but lemon wedges and a full-flavored garden salad.
