Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Panko Crusted Lemon Chicken, Greek Inspired Salad, & "6" Layer Bars



Even though it was cold and rainy, I felt like having a springtime menu for dinner last night. It turned out great -- kid friendly (with the exception of my oldest, who made a disgusting gagging face/noise each time he took a bite of chicken, the little sh*t!) and healthy at the same time. Here is the recipe from Epicurious: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/2842. You'll notice it's called "Parmesan Crusted Lemon Chicken" -- I swapped out the breadcrumbs for an equal amount of panko, just because I love the crunch you get from it.

Missing from the pictures are the Parmesan Smashed Redskins (Ina Garten's recipe; here's the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_24927,00.html). They are OUTSTANDING but didn't photograph that well so I left them to your imagination. They complimented the chicken and salad nicely, and since they have the skins left on, they added a pretty color to the finished plate.

As for the salad, I say Greek "inspired" because I'm not sure how authentic it is -- but the picture is pretty, right?! There wasn't a 'recipe', I just used romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, feta, and olives (although I punted and used plain olives instead of kalamata), and dressed the salad with red wine vinegar and olive oil. If anyone out there has a more authentic recipe, I'd love to have it.

For dessert we had the famous Six instead of Seven Layer Bars -- I leave off the nuts in order to avoid rebellion by my kids, who all act like they're being poisoned if there are nuts present in any recipe. Even though it's a total no-brainer, here it is:

Six (Instead of Seven) Layer Bars
Source: ??? No Idea!
Makes 2 dozen


1/2 c. butter, melted
1 1/2 c. crushed graham cracker crumbs
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/3 c. sweetened flaked coconut
....and if you want the 7th layer, 1 c. walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13" pan with foil and spray the sides with Pam.

Combine the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs in a bowl and pat into the prepared pan. Top with the chocolate chips and the butterscotch chips. Drizzle the condensed milk evenly over the chip layer, and top it with the coconut (and nuts, if you wish). Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool before lifting the foil from the pan and cutting into bars. I like to use my pizza wheel for this job, it works great!

7 comments:

RecipeGirl said...

Wow- sounds like a great dinner! I too love panko and use it in place of breadcrumbs whenever possible. Your kids sound like my little guy. Very dramatic when it comes to food preferences. He's getting better... I'm determined to make a little foodie out of him by the time he reaches his teen years!

Patsyk said...

I want to have dinner at your house! Sounds wonderful! The lemon panko chicken sounds like something I'll have to make soon... I love panko!

Camilla said...

Leah! I am so glad you posted because it led me to your wonderful blog! you sound like a kindred spirit :) and the recipes sound and look incredible!

Obsessive Foodie or Food Addict....You Decide said...

Love Greek salads.....that all looks sooo good. I have never used Panko before. I always say I am going to and I still haven't.

My 2 youngest eat NOTHING and I mean NOTHING. I could strangle the living crap out of them.

Nina Timm said...

The chicken looks so crispy and yummee, can I place an order please.

Sharona May said...

Looks great. If I lived close I would invite myself over for dinner. I love a good greek salad and the chicken looks light and crispy.

Thanks Sharona May

Georgina Ingham | CulinaryTravels said...

Wow what a wonderful dinner. All sounds and looks delicious.