Back of the Box Blog - Corn Flake Chicken

Corn Flake Chicken is a weekly staple at our house these days. The dish is really easy and quick to prepare. On a busy week night, I can get the chicken and fixings on the table in less than an hour.
Corn flake chicken is glorified fried chicken but it reminds me of Wiener schnitzel, a dreamy dish I had long ago at a wine cellar in Vienna. I think of that adventure every time I make the dish so there is another reason to have it on the table once a week.

I start by pounding the chicken breasts thinly with my meat tenderizer. I soak the chicken in buttermilk instead of the milk listed from the back of the box in deference to my southern roots where it is tradition to soak chicken in buttermilk before frying it. I find that the soaking makes a tender chicken. I use Kellogg's Corn Flake Crumbs although I will crush up a box of Corn Flakes if I cannot find the crumbs at the store. I have tampered with the original recipe as is my prerogative so you may want to tamper with my version.   I feel like I can serve this dish with anything although the lemon wedges for squeezing over the chicken at the last minute is a wine cellar trick that I love and continue. I usually get the chicken soaking and then see what is hiding in the fridge.  My favorite is as it is seen here with a refreshing salad of mixed lettuces (dressed up this time with hazelnut crusted goat cheese and tender little green beans) tossed with a garlicky vinaigrette and what you don't see here, a freshly opened bottle of Pinot Noir. A to Z Pinot from Oregon is my current favorite to sip.

Corn Crisped Chicken  adapted from the back of the Kellogg's Corn Flake Crumb box
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 cups Kellogg's Corn Flake Crumbs
1/4 cup  olive oil
Lemon wedges for garnish
Pound the chicken breasts evenly to 1/4 inch thickness for best results.To pound meat thin you may want to place the cutlet between sheets of wax paper for easier washing up. Use a heavy, flat-surface pan to pound if you don’t have a meat mallet.  Pour the buttermilk into a medium bowl. Add the seasoned salt and the lemon pepper if using. Soak the chicken breasts in the buttermilk for up to an hour...I usually give it about 20 minutes.
Put the corn flake crumbs in a shallow dish. I use a pie pan. Drain the chicken breasts and coat each one in the crumbs, turning and pressing the crumbs into the breasts lightly.
Set a large heavy saute pan over medium high heat and add the coated chicken breasts. Shake the pan gently to make sure the chicken is not sticking to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook about 4 minutes each side. Drain briefly on paper towels before plating.
Serve with lemon wedges.
Serves 4.