LEMONY CRISPY CHICKEN CUTLETS AND ROASTED TOMATO SALAD WITH PINE NUTS AND BLUE CHEESE

Lemony Crispy Chicken Cutlets and Roasted Tomato Salad with Pine Nuts and Blue Cheese image

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

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6 plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
Zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus 1 lemon cut into wedges
2 eggs
Vegetable oil, for shallow frying
2 pounds thin chicken cutlets
1 sack (12 ounces) baby spinach or 3/4 pound from bulk bins, washed and patted dry
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Toss the tomatoes with a little drizzle of EVOO and season with the thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper. Arrange the seasoned tomatoes on a rimmed cookie sheet and roast for 20 minutes.
Preheat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and toast, stirring and tossing frequently, until lightly golden. Or you can toast the pine nuts in the oven on a rimmed cookie sheet until golden all over, about 10 minutes. Reserve the nuts.
Place the flour in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish combine the bread crumbs and lemon zest. Beat the eggs in a separate shallow dish with a splash of water.
Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides and turn lightly in the flour. Coat the cutlets in the egg mixture, then in the breading, and add to the hot oil. Cook the cutlets in a single layer, in 2 batches if necessary, for 3 or 4 minutes on each side, until the juices run clear and the breading is evenly browned.
Remove the roasted tomatoes from the oven and coarsely chop, then transfer to a salad bowl. Add the baby spinach, the lemon juice, a drizzle of EVOO, the reserved toasted pine nuts, salt, and pepper. Toss together and let the heat of the tomatoes slightly wilt the spinach.
Serve the chicken cutlets with a generous portion of the roasted tomato salad; sprinkle the salad with the crumbled blue cheese. Arrange lemon wedges alongside.