Pepita Crusted Chicken With Mexican Corn Cakes Recipes

CHICKEN WITH PEPITA SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pepitas and toast, stirring occasionally, until they begin to pop, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer 2 tablespoons pepitas to a small bowl and add the rest to a blender. Add the cumin seeds to the same skillet and toast until dark brown, about 1 minute. Add to the blender; reserve the skillet. Add the salsa verde, 1/2 cup cilantro, the allspice and 1/2 cup water to the blender. Blend until smooth, adding up to 2 tablespoons more water if needed.
• Pour the puree into the reserved skillet; stir in the chicken and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 5 minutes; thin with up to 1/4 cup water if needed. Season with salt and pepper.
• Toss the bell pepper, radishes, lime juice and remaining 1/2 cup cilantro in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Warm the tortillas in a large dry skillet.
• Divide the tortillas, bell pepper salad and chicken among plates. Sprinkle with the reserved pepitas; serve with lime wedges.

PARMESAN-BASIL CORN CAKES

Steps:

• Cut the kernels off the corn. Pulse half the corn with the egg in a food processor; transfer to a medium bowl. Mix in the remaining corn, the flour, parmesan, basil, cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Coat a large skillet with oil and heat over medium heat. Cook spoonfuls until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

PEPITA-CRUSTED CHICKEN SLIDERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Bake rolls as directed on package.
• Meanwhile, in food processor, place pumpkin seeds. Cover; process until finely chopped. In small bowl, mix pumpkin seeds, bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon of the cumin and 1/8 teaspoon of the red pepper. Place flour and beaten egg in separate shallow bowls.
• Cut chicken breast tenders into 1 1/2-inch pieces; sprinkle with salt. Coat chicken pieces with flour, shaking off excess. Dip chicken pieces in egg; coat with crumb mixture.
• In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook chicken in oil 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink in center. Drain.
• In small bowl, mix mayonnaise, honey mustard, remaining 3/4 teaspoon cumin and remaining 1/8 teaspoon red pepper.
• Split rolls. Place chicken on roll bottoms and top with mayonnaise mixture. Cover with roll tops. Serve warm.

PECAN-CRUSTED CHICKEN WITH GRAPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
• Whisk buttermilk and egg together in a shallow bowl.
• Combine flour, ground pecans, sesame seeds, paprika, salt, and black pepper in a deep dish.
• Dip each chicken breast in the buttermilk mixture and transfer to the flour mixture; turn to coat.
• Arrange coated chicken in the baking pan. Drizzle melted butter on top. Sprinkle pecan halves over chicken.
• Bake in the preheated oven until coating is golden, about 30 minutes. Scatter red grapes and green grapes into the baking pan. Continue baking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the chicken reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 30 minutes more.

MEXICAN CHICKEN PIZZA WITH CORNMEAL CRUST

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450°F. In medium bowl, mix 3/4 cup of the flour, the sugar, yeast and salt. Stir in warm water and oil. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on high speed 1 minute. Stir in 1/3 cup cornmeal and remaining 3/4 cup flour to make a soft dough.
• On lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
• Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray; sprinkle with additional cornmeal. On cookie sheet, press dough into 14x10-inch rectangle; prick with fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges just begin to turn brown.
• Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese blend. Top with chicken, tomatoes and bell pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake 6 to 8 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and edges are golden brown. Sprinkle with onions and cilantro.

PEPITA CRUSTED CHEDDAR JACK SOUTHWEST CHICKEN MAC

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add dry elbow pasta to boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente, drain and reserve.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add chicken, cilantro, salt, cumin, pepper and tomatoes; saute for 3 to 4 more minutes, remove from heat and set aside.
• In a separate large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Remove from heat and whisk in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Place back on medium-high heat, slowly whisk in milk and bring to a boil while continuously whisking. Reduce heat and stir in Cheddar, Monterey Jack, smoked Cheddar and cream cheese until melted and smooth.
• Stir in cooked elbow noodles and chicken mixture. Pour mac and cheese mixture into a greased 3 quart casserole dish. In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter and bread crumbs. Toss to coat and sprinkle crumbs and pepitas over top of mac and cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crumbs browned. Enjoy!

SAVORY PEPITA PAN DE ELOTE (MEXICAN CORNBREAD) WITH CHARRED POBLANO BUTTER RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Make the charred poblano butter: Preheat the oven to 450˚F (230˚C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
• Place the poblanos on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly. Roast the peppers, using tongs to rotate every 10 minutes, until the peppers are well-charred and browned all over, about 30 minutes total. Immediately transfer the poblanos to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the peppers steam for 10-15 minutes to loosen the skins.
• Remove a pepper from the bowl and re-cover the remaining peppers. Use your hands (wear gloves if you have sensitive skin) to peel off the charred skin and discard, along with the seeds. Place the pepper flesh into a separate bowl and repeat with the remaining peppers. Do not rinse the peppers to remove the seeds or skin; it will wash away that charred flavor. Let the peppers cool.
• Transfer the poblanos to a food processor, along with the butter, Cotija cheese, cilantro, salt, lime zest, and lime juice. Process on high speed until completely smooth. Season with more salt and lime juice to taste if needed, then transfer to an airtight container and cover. Set aside at room temperature if using the same day, or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
• Make the pepita pan de elote: Reduce the oven temperature 350˚F (180˚C). Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and grease with nonstick spray.
• Add the corn kernels and crema Mexicana to a food processor and process on high speed until creamy, yet chunky in texture, about 30 seconds.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the masa harina, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer on high speed to cream the butter until soft, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and egg yolks and continue beating until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the corn mixture and beat to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined, then mix in the pepitas until just incorporated.
• In a separate medium bowl, use the hand mixer with clean, dry beaters to whip the egg whites until they hold stiff, glossy peaks, 1-2 minutes.
• Add about ¼ of the egg whites at a time to the corn batter and gently fold with a rubber spatula, taking care not to deflate the egg whites, until just incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to smooth the top.
• Bake the pan de elote for about 40 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the edges of the cake are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
• Serve the pepita pan de elote with the charred poblano butter alongside.
• Enjoy!

MARY'S PECAN CRUSTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix the eggs with the milk. Put aside.
• In a medium bowl, mix together flour, seasoning, cinnamon, pecans, sugar, and salt and pepper.
• Dip the chicken in the egg mix, and press in the pecan mix.
• Fry in hot olive oil until golden, about 5 minutes per side. Check to make sure pecans don't burn. Place on paper towel to drain.