If you know me, you know a favorite recipe and meal of mine is chicken piccata or milanese. I say “or” because my piccata over the years has become more of a milanese. Maybe I should coin it “milanata” and call it a day. Anyways, I naturally gravitate towards any chicken preparation that involves breadcrumbs and now, I have a new favorite recipe for when I want to change things up a bit. More importantly, for when the riesling is chilling…
Before diving in, let’s take a moment to cover the facts. Riesling is one of the more food-friendly wines out there and a personal favorite when it comes to food + wine pairings.
We typically see riesling from Germany or Australia, and a new #hiddengem crossed our desks recently from Oregon. If you’re not familiar with riesling or not sure how you feel about it, the 2020 Norris Ribbon Ridge Dry Riesling is a great place to start. This 2020 Dry Riesling from Norris Vineyards is something we are truly excited to share with you. Lexi met the Mckinley family about two years ago now, and has been looking forward to the release of this wine ever since. This wine has everything we’re looking for; namely that green apple crunch that we typically can’t find in domestic riesling. The care and precision that went into this wine is unparalleled!
Our excitement for this wine had us eager to start cooking. Note: What really takes this pairing over the top is the cucumber side salad to be enjoyed alongside the chicken katsu. Together, the umami – savory – nutty – earthy – crunchy – flavorful components of this dish make for the ultimate mirror pairing in tandem with the citrus – floral – mineral – bright – savory – nuances present with every sip of the wine. You can prepare some brown rice as well if you’d like!
Ingredients:
Serves 4 people
1 ginger root, peeled and minced or grated
1 cup sesame seeds
1 tbsp. honey
Red pepper flakes
1 bunch radishes
Olive oil
4-6 scallions sliced
½ cup soy sauce
4 chicken cutlets
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Sunflower oil
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. tahini
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
Handful chives
½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
Handful cilantro
Handful mint
4 persian cucumbers
½ head green cabbage, chopped lengthwise
Cracked black pepper
Make the marinade for the chicken by combining 1 tbsp. minced ginger, ½ of your sliced scallions, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, and honey into a bowl. Mix everything together and then set ⅓ of the marinade aside for the chicken before serving, and pour the rest of the marinade over the uncooked chicken in a bag. Let the marinade sit with the chicken for a few minutes.
While the chicken is marinating, prepare the salad by combining the cucumbers, the remainder of the scallions, radishes, about half the cabbage head into a bowl with the chopped chives, mint, and cilantro.
Prepare the dressing by combining lemon juice, tahini, dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon ginger, and cracked black pepper. Go ahead and dress the salad. Mix everything together thoroughly, season to taste with more pepper and some red pepper flakes if you’d like. Set aside.
Cover the surface of a baking sheet with the breadcrumbs. Heat the sunflower oil in a pan over medium heat. Remove the chicken cutlets one by one from the bag and place on top of the breadcrumbs. Pat down one side and then the other to coat the cutlets in the breadcrumbs. Place the cutlets into the skillet with the now heated oil. This should take about 4 minutes per side. The cutlets should be golden brown. To prevent the sesame seeds or breadcrumbs from burning if the chicken cutlets aren’t cooking through quick enough (depending on the thickness), you can always have the oven ready to go at about 350 degrees so you can pop in the chicken to keep warm while you continue with the remaining cutlets, and finish cooking.
Once all the cutlets are cooked, plate alongside the salad and spoon some of the leftover marinade over the chicken. Pour yourself a glass of Riesling and enjoy 🙂
