By Amy Deline, The Gourmand Mom
A basic breading technique can be used to coat veggies, meats, or seafood with a crispy, flavorful exterior. It is often used to prepare foods for pan-frying, but works swimmingly for baking as well. Foods can be breaded with basic seasoned bread crumbs, Panko bread crumbs, or any variety of crushed crackers or even chips! Properly breading foods is a three step process.
First, dredge the food in a bit of flour. Second, dip the item in a simple bath of eggs whisked together with a touch of milk. Third, press the food into your dry breading, until thoroughly coated. The flour adheres easily to the food. The egg adheres to the flour. The breading adheres to the egg. To prevent your fingers from getting breaded in the process, it’s a wise idea to handle the wet ingredients with one hand, while using the other hand for the dry ingredients. Once breaded, your food can be pan-fried in a bit of oil until golden brown and cooked through or oven baked for a lighter result.
Loaded nacho chicken
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
2 cups corn tortilla chips, finely crushed
3/4 cup chile con queso dip (store-bought or homemade)
Black olives, sliced
Black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 green onions, sliced
1 tomato, diced
Salt and pepper
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Season the chicken breasts with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. To set up your breading station, spread the flour onto a plate. Whisk the eggs and milk together in a small baking dish or bowl. Spread the crushed tortilla chips onto a plate. Dredge each chicken breast in the flour, then dip in the egg mixture. Finally, press the chicken into the tortilla chips until well coated. Place the coated chicken breasts in a baking dish. Cook for 25-35 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165 degrees F, as measured with an instant-read meat thermometer.
3. To serve, top the cooked chicken with a generous helping of warm chile con queso and a sprinkle of black beans, black olives, tomatoes, green onions, or your other favorite nacho toppings.
