Crispy Chicken and Cool Fennel Apple Salad

Weeknight friendly but a little bit special

Sunset Avenue in front of Gjusta Bakery, just before sunset. We enjoyed the laid-back Venice lifestyle like locals for a few days. Gold’s Gym is just outside the frame on the right, where gym-goers pump iron outdoors.

Hello from California!

Welp, I finally got on a plane. I haven’t traveled by air since before the pandemic. It’s been exactly three years since we went to London for Steve’s birthday. We often use Steve’s birthday as an excuse to travel, since it’s in the middle of January — just when we need a little break. It’s been colder than usual here in L.A. since the rains have ended, but it’s still way warmer and SUNNIER than in New York.

A glimpse inside the cheerful and sunny apartment. This was a great home base for a a few days. We woke up to the smell of freshly baked bread wafting up from the bakery every morning.

We are staying at the Gjusta Apartment, which has been really fun. It’s a roomy, comfortable, and stylish apartment just upstairs from Gjusta Bakery, which has been a very convenient and delicious canteen. Today we went to the Hammer Museum and saw a really good show about Joan Didion’s life, but first we had lunch at the beautiful Lulu restaurant in the courtyard of the museum. The restaurant was conceived by Alice Waters, and is led by chef and food writer David Tanis. I highly recommend both!

This was one of the many meals and snacks we enjoyed just downstairs. This was the Green Pozole and it was as good as it looks!

Despite the fact that I’m on the road, I still have a recipe for you today! This crunchy panko-coated chicken breast gives me all the fried food feels, but is a lot easier and healthier. And the crunchy, creamy salad is the kind of thing I could eat a ton of. You could add a starchy side to this meal if you’re really hungry, but it’s usually enough for me. There are a few things I like to use an air fryer for, and this is one of them, but a convection oven works fine too, as does a regular oven. It will just be a bit crispier in the air fryer or a convection oven. The main drawback of an air fryer is that you can only cook (in this case) one chicken breast at a time. If you’re cooking for four, you’re better off doing this in the oven.

Which brings me to a question I’ve been meaning to ask you: How many people are you usually cooking for? It’s standard recipe-writing practice to have recipes serve 4, but sometimes I wonder how many of you are actually cooking for 4. Do you cook for 2 and save the leftovers when following the recipe? Or do you halve a recipe if cooking for just yourself or 2 people? Please let me know in the comments!

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Crispy Chicken and Cool Fennel Apple Salad

Serves 4

You know I want you to use a mandoline to slice the components for this salad for that perfect texture, but if you don’t have one, slice the fennel, apple, and radishes as thinly as you can with a sharp chef’s knife. 

For the chicken:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

• Garlic powder

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (any kind, any fat content)

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 cup panko (I like whole wheat if I can find it)

• 3/4 ounce grated Parmesan (3/4 fluffy cup)

• Pinch of cayenne

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme

For the salad:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (any kind, any fat content)

• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed (about 10 ounces), thinly sliced

• 1 small sweet apple, like honeycrisp, cored and thinly sliced

• 3 to 4 stalks celery, thinly sliced

• 4 red radishes, thinly sliced

• A big handful of fresh dill

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1. Place a chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and lightly pound the thicker end with a meat mallet so it’s of uniform thickness. This step is optional, but it will cook better this way. Repeat with remaining chicken and transfer to a dinner plate. Season well with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on both sides. 

2. In a shallow bowl, combine the yogurt and mustard, mixing well. Transfer the chicken breasts to the bowl, and coat thoroughly with the mixture.

3. Combine the panko, Parmesan, cayenne, black pepper, and thyme on a clean dinner plate. 

4. Scrape off a little excess yogurt, and press the chicken breasts one at a time into the panko mixture, patting it on on both sides. At this point the chicken breasts can be refrigerated for a few hours if you’re not ready to cook. Take them out of the fridge at least 15 minutes before cooking.

5. Make the salad: In a shallow serving bowl, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until smooth. Add the fennel, apple, celery, and radishes, and toss gently to coat in the dressing. Adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside while you cook the chicken. 

6. Heat oven to 425℉ (or an air fryer to 375℉). Spray the chicken on both sides with olive oil spray and place on a foil-lined sheet pan (or 1 or 2 at a time in the air fryer — as many as yours is designed to hold). Cook for 13 to 15 minutes, turning once, until golden brown and cooked though (cook time will be the same for both oven and air fryer). If you are cooking one at a time in the air fryer, keep the cooked piece(s) of chicken warm in the oven.

7. Transfer to plates and pile the salad alongside. Serve with lemon wedges and with dill torn over top of the salad.

Crispy Chicken And Cool Fennel Apple Salad

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