Roasted Chicken Gremolata with a Crispy Panko Crust

Our Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil is a classic Italian combination of garlic, lemon and parsley with a hint of mint. It’s also the star ingredient in this “mock fried chicken” recipe we adapted from Ina Garten. We roasted the chicken in the oven and used a Dijon-white wine mixture (rather than egg/flour batter) as a coating to adhere the flavorful panko crust. The chicken is moist and the crust is crispy without the extra fat from deep frying. Two great things about this dish are: (1) this is a make-ahead dish, and (2) you can either serve it hot from the oven or at room temperature! Give it a try, you just might discover something new and healthier for your next potluck, pool party or picnic!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 to 4½ pounds of bone-in chicken pieces, we used thighs and drumsticks with skin on (go ahead, since we eliminated some fat from not using an egg batter nor frying the chicken!)
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup Dijon mustard
• 2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 4 tablespoons Olive This! Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the 2 cups of panko and the 4 tablespoons of Milanese Gremolata Olive Oil. Mix well, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl for a good minute or two, to thoroughly coat the panko.

Pour the panko mixture into a large plate or pie tin. Hang onto the bowl for the wine-mustard mixture (why wash another dish?).

Using the same bowl, whisk together the ½ cup of Dijon mustard and the ½ cup of white wine. This will be your “batter” for the chicken pieces.

Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and generously salt and pepper each piece. Prepare a separate baking pan with brushed olive oil or cooking spray.

Dip each chicken piece into the mustard-wine mixture to coat all sides.

Immediately place the coated chicken piece into the panko mixture skin side down, pressing gently so the crumbs adhere.  You only need to coat the one side (with the skin).

Place coated chicken pieces onto prepared baking sheet with skin side up. Gently press the remaining panko mixture onto the chicken pieces. Note: If making ahead, wrap the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate. When ready, remove plastic wrap and bake according to the following directions.

Bake the chicken in the 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Then increase the oven temperature to about 400 degrees F and continue to bake until the panko crust is brown and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes more.

Serve immediately while it’s hot or serve at room temperature. Great for potlucks or picnics. Garnish with parsley leaves. Enjoy!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

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