Crispy Sumac Chicken with Lemon Tahini Sauce
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ medium shallot, minced
- ¼ cup warm water, plus more as needed
- Freshly ground salt & pepper to taste
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (~6 oz each)
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground sumac (use lemon zest as a substitute if you need to)
- 1-2 cups panko bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup olive oil, divided
- 16 oz raw baby spinach
- Drizzle of apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, shallot, & ¼ cup warm water. Add more water as needed to get the sauce to have the thickness of creamy salad dressing. Season with a few twists of freshly ground salt & black pepper. Set aside.
- Line a large cutting board with plastic wrap. Place one chicken breast on the board, cover with another sheet of plastic wrap, and use a meat mallet to pound the chicken into a cutlet that has a uniform thickness of roughly ½ inch. (If you don't have a meat mallet, you can use the bottom of a heavy frying pan to pound the chicken). Set the pounded chicken cutlet aside on a plate and repeat for the remaining 3 chicken breasts.
- Crack the egg into a medium bowl, and whisk together with the Dijon mustard and sumac. Spread the panko on a large plate.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then, one at a time, dip them in the egg mixture to coat. One at a time, press each chicken breast onto the plate of panko to coat well on both sides. Use your hands as needed to press the panko onto the chicken to create a uniform coating.
- Next, drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. You want the oil to evenly cover the pan, and provide a slight pool for the chicken to pan-fry in. Warm over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is shimmering, place two of the breaded chicken cutlets in the warm skillet and cook for about 4 minutes per side, until crispy & golden. Remove from the pan & set aside. Add another splash of oil to the pan and repeat the process for the other two chicken cutlets.
- Add the baby spinach to a large salad bowl. Drizzle with the remaining 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Toss with your hands until evenly coated with dressing.
- Place ¼ of the spinach onto each serving plate. Top each with a chicken cutlet and drizzle with ¼ of the tahini sauce. Season with additional black pepper & enjoy!