Cornmeal Crusted Chicken

I realize that Elly just made this last night. And I feel like a complete copycat. But one of my favorite teachers from when I was little always told me that "copying is a compliment." So take it as a compliment Elly, that I thought your dinner looked so wonderful last night that I just HAD to make it tonight :-)

Anyway, I did mine a little differently than Elly did, although the inspiration came solely from her delicious looking concoction from last night. I did not stuff my chicken with anything. In the kosher world, mixing chicken (or meat of any kind) with cheese (or dairy of any kind) is a big no-no. I may have mentioned that once or twice before, but I just wanted to clarify just in case. So stuffing my chicken with cheese is pretty much out of the question. Coating it in cornmeal, on the other hand, is completely ok, so I just stuck with that. I also didn't add the peppers. For one, I don't really like spicy peppers too much. Also, we had no peppers on hand. So I just added a good dose of paprika and chili powder to my cornmeal before tossing my chicken in it.

I also wanted to clarify one other thing. Eggs are not dairy. I know, I know. I thought they were too. But they're not. Dairy products are anything that consists of milk. So butter, cream, milk (duh), cheese...those kinds of things. Those are all dairy and you will not find any of them in my meat dishes. I sometimes feel limited because I cannot combine these things in my kitchen and so many wonderful recipes that I've come across call for them. But honestly, I love being kosher and I am more than willing to make the sacrifice. Also, there are always substitutions that cane be made. For example, dairy free margarine comes in handy when making mashed potatoes that will be eaten with meat. Or when making a dessert that will be eaten after a meat meal. Ok, I think I've rambled long enough. I just wanted to give those of you who may not know much about the kosher lifestyle a glimpse into what goes into keeping kosher. Onto the chicken.

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup cornmeal
salt
pepper
paprika
chili powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Coat chicken in egg and then toss in cornmeal mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet and spray chicken with cooking spray. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until juices run clear.

This was such an easy and delicious dinner. I know I'll be making this many many times again! Thanks for another winner Elly :-)

(sorry for the lack of pictures. i took one and it turned out teeny tiny. i don't know what's going on with my camera.)