{In case you're wondering, that means "Everyone to the table to eat!" in Italian}

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Sweet Autumn Chicken


This was really easy and yummy, and perfect for fall. Plus, the chicken cutlets make enough for 2 meals (at least for my family of 6), so you can freeze the rest and have another quick meal on another night!
Sweet Autumn Chicken (Family Fun Magazine)

20 ounces fresh or frozen cubed butternut squash
4 cubed Golden Delicious apples (I used Gala)
6 frozen chicken cutlets (see below)
1 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper

For the cutlets (makes 12, you can wrap and freeze half for another meal):
6 large boneless, skinless chicken-breast halves, rinsed, blotted dry, and sliced lengthwise
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2-1/4 cups panko bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a shallow dish, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, and garlic powder. Spread the bread crumbs in another shallow dish. Working with one cutlet at a time, season both sides of each one with salt and pepper, coat it with the mayo mixture, then the bread crumbs. Place the cutlets on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the cutlets for 10 minutes, rotate the sheet, and continue baking until golden brown and cooked through, another 10 to 15 minutes. (After cooled, you can tightly wrap and freeze half the cutlets for later use. To use, just heat on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.)

While the chicken is cooking, microwave the cubed butternut squash until slightly soft — 6 minutes for fresh, 10 to 12 minutes for frozen. Place squash on a greased cookie sheet and toss in cubed apples. Make a glaze by reducing the apple cider in a saucepan over high heat for 10 minutes. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the butter and salt and pepper to taste. Pour half the glaze over the squash mixture. Bake the squash mixture on the oven's upper rack for about 15 minutes.
Serve each cutlet atop the squash and apples, drizzled with the remaining glaze.

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