Peanut-Crusted Chicken w/Pineapple Salsa

I just love it when 6:00 rolls around and no one has even started to think about dinner. This is why I wish we made a weekly menu at the start of each week. So I run upstairs and grab my Cooking Light magazines and start thumbing through them.

I get about 2 pages into the March issue when one of my starred recipes pops up -- in the "superfast" section. Awesome. It only takes 20 minutes to make. Even better. However, I have to run to the store first to get some of the ingredients. Frustrating.

But I ran to the store anyway (do they really not sell dry-roasted peanuts in anything smaller than a huge jar?). This recipe really did take only about 20 minutes to make, unlike many other recipes that say "20 minutes", but really take 30-40 if you haven't made it before.

Overall it was an okay recipe. My chicken turned out a little darker than the picture, which really had me worried at first. I cheated a bit and used canned pineapple chunks rather than chopped fresh pineapple, but I really didn't feel like going through all that work. Next time though, I would definitely either chop the pineapple up smaller, or double the recipe and throw it in a food processor first. The chicken took a lot longer than 2 minutes to cook, as well, but that really wasn't a big deal -- I kind of expected it.

Taste-wise, the chicken on it's own was rather bland, but the part with salsa on it was rather interesting. I've never really had a fruity salsa before and this one worked pretty well (as far as I know). I would probably make this again, with a few alterations.

Peanut-Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

Cooking Light, March '08

1 cup chopped fresh pineapple (I used canned pineapple chunks)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion (I used yellow onion)

1/3 c. unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

1 (1 oz) slice white bread (I used wheat)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

4 (4 oz) chicken cutlets

1 1/2 tsp. canola oil

Cooking spray

Cilantro springs (optional)

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small dowl, tossing well.

Combine peanuts and bread slice in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over chicken. Dredge chicken in the breadcrumb mixture.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking-spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Serve chicken with pineapple mixture. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Yields: 4 servings

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 341	Calories from fat 149
% Daily Value
Total Fat 16.6g	25%
Saturated Fat 3.3g	17%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 101mg	34%
Sodium 439mg	18%
Total Carbs 10.9g	4%
Dietary Fiber 1.8g	7%
Sugars 4.7g
Protein 36.8g
Vitamin A 2%	Vitamin C 31%
Calcium 5%	Iron 13%