Pistachio Crusted Chicken w/ Dijon Pan Gravy

This weekend I cleaned the whole downstairs of the house, which put me into a very good mood — elated even. When I become elated, I like to crust things in chopped nuts. This recipe is kind of from Epicurious, in that I had an idea and then I looked for a similar chicken recipe online just to find cooking time and I actually found one that used my mustard trick and everything. Bastards.

We had this with buttermilk mashed potatoes (recipe below) and slightly crispy this time roasted broccoli (recipe here) and it was de-licious.

Pistachio Crusted Chicken:
(recipe for 2 — double for 4)
1/2 cup shelled raw pistachios
1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (a pinch dried)
2 boneless chicken breast halves
2 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot diced
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Finely grind nuts in processor. Add panko and pulse until combined. (Alternatively, you can put the nuts in a ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin). Transfer to shallow baking dish. Mix mustard and thyme leaves in a medium bowl. Spread mustard mixture over both sides of each chicken breast. Dip chicken breasts into nut mixture, coating completely. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. By the time you are done, you will be wearing mustard and pistachio mittens. This is completely okay — you needed to wash your hands after the raw chicken anyway.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts to skillet and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to baking sheet. Or if you are using a pan that is oven-safe, just pop the whole thing in the oven.

Bake chicken until cooked through, about 7-10 minutes (chicken should be about 165 degrees). Store gently on a plate and cover with foil.

For gravy:
Return chicken pan to heat and add shallots. Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and with a wooden spoon, work any drippings/pistachio crumbs up from the bottom of the pan. Mix in mustard and thyme and cook for about 1-2 minutes and add butter.

Transfer a chicken breast to its own plate and cover with sauce. Serve with potatoes, broccoli — and wine.

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes:
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 – 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

Add diced potatoes to a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender. Drain and return potatoes to hot pot, and cook over medium heat for about 30 seconds to help dry the potatoes out. Mash with a masher and add buttermilk to your desired consistency.

Add garlic and rosemary. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. For extra creamy potatoes add a tablespoon or two of yogurt or sour cream. I usually try to time this so that I am straining the potatoes just as I am letting the sauce cook down a bit. If the potatoes get done a few minutes earlier, just cover them with a lid.

Yikes. Tomorrow (Wednesday) I cook all day for Thursday night’s Donor Dinner. I’m thinking I might update throughout the day with stuff I am making, as I am making it…we’ll see if that happens.