Crispy Quinoa Crusted Chicken W/ Pesto Rosso Mayo
Chicken Breast coated with quinoa and cooked until it's beautifuly golden brown! Served with a quick and easy Pesto Rosso dipping sauce!
Ingredients
Crispy Quinoa Chicken
- 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- 2 1/2 cups of cooked Quinoa cooled (see notes)
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup All-Purpose Flour
- Vegetable Cooking Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic Powder optional
- Onion Powder optional
Pesto Rosso Mayo
- ¼ cup of Mayo
- ¼ cup of Pesto Rosso
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the Pesto Rosso Mayo:
- In a small bowl, combine mayo, Pesto Rosso, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Transfer sauce to an air-tight container and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Prep the Chicken:
- Pat each chicken breast dry on all sides with paper towels. One at a time, slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise creating two halves. You want the chicken to have an even thickness all around. If necessary, cover each piece of chicken with plastic wrap and lightly pound with a meat mallet to achieve an even thickness all around.
- Set them aside and repeat with the remaining chicken breast.
- Once you have four even chicken breasts, lightly season the chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder if using. Set aside while you prepare the dredging station.
Prep and Dredge the chicken:
- In a large shallow dish, and ¼ cup of flour and a pinch of salt & pepper. Mix well to combine and set aside.
- In another shallow dish, whisk together two large eggs with a pinch of salt & pepper. Set aside.
- In one more large dish, add quinoa, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste. Mix well to combine. Now assemble your station in order of chicken, flour, egg, quinoa, and a plate/tray to put the breaded chicken on.
- One at a time, using your hands or a set of tongs, coat the chicken in the flour mixture, making sure to shake off any excess flour.
- Next, coat the chicken in the egg mixture, being sure to let the excess drip off. Finally, place the chicken into the quinoa, being sure to press the quinoa on firmly so it adheres nicely to the chicken. Once the chicken is fully coated, gently transfer the chicken to a plate/baking sheet. Repeat steps until all four pieces of chicken are nicely breaded.
- In a large skillet, add ¼ inch of frying oil of your choice and heat over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken to the pan and cook on one side for 4 minutes. Be sure to check halfway through in case you have a hotspot in your pan and need to move the chicken a bit to keep the quinoa from burning. Depending on the size of the pan, it may be best to work in batches. I like to cook chicken two at a time.
- After 4 minutes, the quinoa should be nice and browned and the chicken is ready to flip. Cook the chicken on the second side for an additional 4 minutes. Once the chicken is nicely browned and cooked through (165 degrees), remove it from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack lined baking sheet to cool and drain off any excess oil. If working in batches, repeat with the next batch of chicken until all chicken is cooked through.
Serve & Enjoy
- Serve the chicken with a side of Pesto Rosso Mayo for dipping & side dishes of your choice! The remaining chicken can be refrigerated for up to 4 days and reheated in a 325-degree oven for 15 minutes.
Notes
1 Cup of uncooked quinoa makes about 3 cups of cooked quinoa total. I strongly recommend cooking your quinoa the night before and letting it chill overnight in the fridge. If you want to cook your quinoa the day of, I recommend placing your cooked quinoa on a lined baking sheet and into a 325-degree oven for about 10 minutes just to dry it out a little bit. The quinoa won’t be and doesn’t need to be 100% dried out, just needs to be free of excess moisture.
Pesto Rosso is a pesto made with sun-dried tomatoes. Sometimes it’s labeled “Red Pesto” or “Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto” if you’re looking for it in your local grocery store. Use any brand you enjoy.