This hearty meal definitely hits the spot. Safe to say that having it for lunch kept me pretty full that I didn't need dinner. It's the perfect post-workout meal for a heavy lift session or an intense cardio day.
INGREDIENTS:
12 oz chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
8 oz broccoli (florets, cut into bite-size pieces)
2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (whites separated from greens)
4 TBS sour cream
1 TBS Frank's Red Hot seasoning blend (you can use the hot sauce version too)
1/4 c Panko bread crumbs
1/4 c Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
12 oz Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
2 TBS honey
2 tsp Olive oil (NOT extra virgin)
3 TBS butter (I use Kerry Gold grass-fed butter)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 425F and provide a top and middle rack.
In a small bowl, whisk half the sour cream with 1/2 tsp Frank's seasoning blend and a couple pinches of salt. Stir in 1 tsp of water at a time until you achieve a sauce-like consistency that allows you to drizzle it from a spoon.
Take another bowl and melt 1 TBS of butter in it. Then mix in the panko crumbs, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and the rest of Frank's seasoning, along with some salt and pepper as needed. Set aside.
Take your diced potatoes and place in a pot with water that covers it up to over an inch at the top. Salt it well and bring to a boil. Cook for about 15 minutes or until tender enough to mash. Reserve 1/2 c of the liquid and set aside. Drain the potatoes in a colander and set aside. Take the pot back onto the heat and over low heat with a drizzle of oil, cook up the scallion whites until they are softened. Pour the potatoes back in, mash them with 1 TBS of butter and the rest of the sour cream. Add in some of that reserved boiling water you set aside earlier. Add just enough so that it's creamy. Season accordingly with salt and pepper. Remove from heat but keep covered until ready for serving.
While your potatoes are cooking, take your chicken, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper from two back. Place parchment paper on a baking tray and position chicken on it. Lightly oil it. Then spoon the panko cheese mixture on top of the chicken (just on one side) pressing down firmly to keep them in place. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until cooked through. If there's enough space next to the chicken, toss your broccoli on it and drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Otherwise, you can take the broccoli onto another baking tray. Make sure they're not too crowded together or they will steam up instead of roast to a nice crispy texture. Again, when chicken is cooked, set it aside on another plate or onto a cutting board to rest and allow juices to redistribute so you don't end up with dry chicken.
Once all elements are cooked, start plating. Scoop the potatoes onto the plate and assemble the broccoli next to it (I like to drizzle the broccoli with some lemon juice to give it a more vibrant flavor). You can serve the chicken as it is, but I like to cut the breast fillet into delicate slices so as to make it easier for consumption. Take your Frank's Red Hot and sour cream seasoning, and drizzle all over the chicken. Then top with a little drizzle of honey as well to balance out the heat.
Serve and enjoy!