Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Breasts

Happy Wednesday guys!  How's everyone's week going so far?  So far so good with us!

Picked up our CSA box this afternoon and it was LOADED with goodies!  Can't wait to share all of our goods with you tomorrow!

And on to today's recipe...

When I think of pretzels, I don't usually immediately think to use them as a coating/breading - although it's quite common these days!  But the salty snack is a great breading for chicken and fish!  This recipe proves it!


Ingredients:

Adapted from Savour Fare's recipe

1 & 1/2 cups pretzel sticks
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 & 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Tabasco, optional

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place a rack over a baking sheet.

Place pretzels into a plastic bag and seal.  Run a rolling pin over the pretzels until they reach a desired consistency.  I liked them somewhat pulverized, but still with small chunks of pretzel still visible. 

Transfer crush pretzels to a shallow dish and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine spicy brown mustard, Dijon mustard, water, and vinegar.  Whisk to combine.  Slowly whisk in the olive oil until fully incorporated and homogenous.  Add in cayenne pepper and season with salt, if needed.

Dip chicken breasts in mustard mixture and coat well.  Then dip in dish with pretzels and coat well.  Place chicken breasts on top of rack on baking sheet. 

Bake chicken until cooked through, about 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken breasts (ours were quite large).  Slice and serve with some buttered pasta and Tabasco sauce (couldn't resist the added heat!).

This was such a quick and easy weeknight meal, I'm really thinking about keeping it in my rotation for a while!  I loved the added crunch of the pretzels and the mustardy/Tabasco kick!  Loved it - and I hope if you try this, that you will too!

Have a great Wednesday guys and hope you're back tomorrow to see our CSA goodies!  And Friday, I'll be posting the Derby Pie fudge recipe, so you know you can't miss that!  I'm off to play some volleyball (we've just got to do better than last week's 0-3 showing!)

Creamy Carrot Soup

Today, in most parts of the U.S., is just another Friday.  But here, in Louisville, KY (and well, most parts of Kentucky in general) it's more like a holiday!  What "holiday" you ask?!  Why it's Kentucky Derby weekend!  Louisville seriously gets their party on.  Most places of employment have a 4 day weekend (or others just make sure to ask for the days off!).  Celebrities come into town and all that jazz.  All for a couple of horse races that take maybe 2 minutes to finish!  But you know, I don't think it's really all about the horse races (although it is tradition) more than it is about getting all dressed up and drinking.

And the hats!  When most people think of the Kentucky Derby, I think a Derby hat is one of the first things that come to mind! 

While I won't be donning a Derby hat this year (nor have I ever) I'll be spending today at Churchill Downs for the Oaks - sipping Mint Juleps and looking as good as I can (seriously, my dress is hella cute!) and hopefully meeting up with some friends!  My sister has offered to give us a ride down there (she's freakin' awesome!) and hopefully we'll end up finding a ride back home, too - so no worries of being unsafe!

Anyway, we've got a Derby party to attend to on Saturday and I need to bring something with me!  So help me out and vote in this week's poll!



This is not really a Derby recipe, but I was really in the mood for soup, so soup it is!


Ingredients:
Adapted from The Meaning of Pie's recipe

1 small onion, diced
2 ribs of celery, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 white potato, cubed
4 cups chicken broth
1 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce (like Tabasco or Sriracha) 
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and Pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup milk

In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter under medium high heat.  Add onions and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add in carrots, potatoes, and chicken broth.  Simmer for about 5 minutes or so.

Stir in Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, sugar, salt, pepper, and cayenne.  Let simmer on medium to medium low for about 30 minutes.

Remove bay leaves and blend up soup with an immersion blender until you reach your desired consistency.  Slowly stir in the milk until incorporated.  Ladle soup into bowls and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and garnish with croutons.

This was a quick one-pot meal that was a really tasty lunch!  Now, if you'll excuse me - I'm heading to the Oaks!  Have a great weekend guys!