Steal This Recipe® Macadamia Crusted Chicken

From Chef Eric Kelly, Scape American Bistro, St. Louis

Stolen with permission from Chef Eric Kelly, this delicious recipe is sure to impress your friends and family!

Like the vibrant St. Louis neighborhood surrounding it, Scape is an eclectic blend of classic and contemporary. The inventive American cuisine is set against a backdrop of warmth and sophistication. The restaurant is conveniently located in the Central West End’s historic yet hip Maryland Plaza. The atmosphere is sophisticated and the menu is creative yet approachable. Whether enjoying a dinner with colleagues, an after-work cocktail at the bar or an intimate dinner for two, Scape is a welcome addition to the St. Louis dining scene.

About the chef: Eric Kelly brought his love for culturally diverse cuisines to Scape and Crepes etc. in 2007. His proven success while opening multiple restaurants including Italian, French, American and Asian translated into the eclectic, ever-changing menu at Scape. Chef Eric focuses on continuously creating exquisite dishes for both Scape American Bistro and Crepes etc. He notes St. Louis as his favorite experience yet and is grateful for the many culinary opportunities that inspire his innovative menus. “I am so proud of my team and what we do every day.”

Scape American Bistro
48 Maryland Plaza
St. Louis, MO  63108
314.361.7227

This recipe makes 4 restaurant servings and is served at Scape American Bistro for $21.00.

Steal This Recipe® Macadamia Nut Crusted Chicken Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, 6 ounces each
To taste black pepper, fresh cracked
To taste Lawrey’s Seasoning Salt
8 oz flour, all purpose
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups Panko bread crumbs, ground fine
1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped fine
24 oz mashed potatoes, (your recipe)
8 oz *Sho yu Cream Sauce, (recipe)
8 oz **Papaya Marmalade, (recipe)
1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds, (garnish)
4 basil leaves, fried, (garnish)

Steal This Recipe® Step-by-Step Instructions for the Chicken:
Place a 2 foot piece of plastic wrap on your counter top or cutting board.  
Place the chicken breasts on the plastic then top the chicken with another sheet of plastic. 
Using the flat side of a meat tenderizer, carefully pound chicken breasts to an even ½” thickness.  Remove top plastic and season both sides of the chicken with pepper and seasoning salt.  

Create a dredging station:  Add flour to a pie pan. Add prepared eggs to a separate pie pan.  Combine prepared Panko and prepared macadamia nuts together and mix evenly. Place this mixture into a third pie pan. Place prepared chicken breasts in the flour and coat both sides well, then shake off excess flour. Using one hand individually submerge flour coated breasts into eggs then place in Panko-macadamia nut mixture and coat completely on all sides. Hold all 4 prepared breasts on a plate.

Heat half cup of olive oil in a heavy bottom sauté pan over moderate heat. Once oil is lightly smoking, carefully place 2 breasts in the oil and cook 3-4 minutes on each side until breading is golden brown, careful not to burn. Place browned chicken on a cookie sheet. Repeat with the other two breasts.  

Place chicken breasts into a 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked completely through. Remove from oven and hold warm until ready for service. 

To serve: Place 6 ounces of your favorite mashed potato recipe in the center of each serving plate.
Using a sharp knife, cut each breast in half, stack two halves atop each other on top of the mashed potatoes.  
Place a tablespoon of the **Papaya Marmalade around the mashed potatoes at 12, 4 and 8 O’clock.  
Using a 2 ounce ladle, add 2 ounces of *Sho Yu Cream Sauce over the top of the chicken.
Garnish by sprinkling a few black sesame seeds over the papaya marmalade.  
Finally, garnish the top of the chicken with a few stems of hydroponic cress or other similar greens.

Ingredients for the*Papaya Marmalade:
1 Hawaiian papaya, (peeled, seeded & diced 1”)
½ cup white wine, dry
1 cup pineapple, fresh (peeled, cored & diced 1”)
1 cup sugar, granulated

Steal This Recipe® Step-by-Step Instructions for the *Papaya Marmalade:
Place all prepared ingredients in a small non reactive saucepan.
Place over moderate heat and bring to a simmer allowing sugar to melt.
Using a pastry brush and ice water, twice during the cooking process, you should brush the sides of the pan to remove any sugar.
Once sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and puree, using an immersion blender.
Remove from heat, using a rubber spatula, scrape into a non reactive dish and cool in the refrigerator overnight.

Ingredients for the **Sho Yu Cream Sauce: 
16 oz heavy cream
4 oz Kikkoman soy sauce
(Makes 1 cup)

Steal This Recipe® Step-by-Step Instructions for the **Sho Yu Cream Sauce:
Place cream in a heavy bottom sauce pan.  Place over moderate heat and reduce by nearly half.  Be careful not to let cream boil over.
Once cream is reduced, add the soy sauce, once again, reduce sauce slightly to nappé.  
(Nappé: sauce consistency lightly coats the back of a wooden spoon.  A streak is left behind if you wipe your finger across the back of the spoon).