Parmesan Panko Chicken

One of my goals for this year is to try and avoid food waste. I feel like every week I throw out vegetables that I bought but didn't really have a plan for and leftovers that I didn't get around to either eating or freezing.

After doing a quick inventory in the kitchen yesterday I discovered that I had enough chicken in the freezer to start my own poultry store, and a ton of random vegetables in the fridge that were about to go off.

A quick rummage through my cabinets and a short internet trawl later I had come up with the perfect pantry dinner that required no additional shopping! Hurrah!!

Here's what I used

• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

Here's what I did

1. Preheat oven to 400 C. Grease a baking sheet with butter or oil
2. Mix butter and Dijon mustard together in a bowl
3. Mix breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese together in a large bowl or a plate and season to taste
4. Dip chicken thighs in mustard mixture and coat well
5. Press thighs into Panko mixture and coat well. Transfer to baking sheet and spray top of thighs with oil 
6. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and coating is crispy

I served it with a medley of cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, red onion, carrot and yellow bell pepper, which I simply tossed with some olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and lemon juice and roasted in the same oven with the chicken for about 20 or 25 minutes.

I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this! I'm not a huge mustard fan and usually only make exceptions when used in marinades, but here it complemented the Parmesan and the breadcrumbs perfectly.

I would have been happier if the coating had been a little crispier on top, and I think I will make more of the Dijon butter next time as I ran a little short and the coating on the chicken was a bit patchy in places which meant that the Panko mixture didn't always stick very well. With this being such a quick and easy dish, though, I'm sure I will get many opportunities to perfect!

Bon appetit!