Panko Japanese Breadcrumbs

I just have to share this little tidbit of information. I'd heard of panko breadcrumbs (found in the asian section of the supermarket), but I didn't have any reason to use them until I made the buffalo chicken mac and cheese (see http://practicemakesmeals.blogspot.com/2010/04/recipe-26-buffalo-chicken-mac-cheese.html).... I was then left with quite a bit unused in its box, so I decided to use them to bread some chicken breasts I had.

Wow, what a nice crunchy texture! I'll never use regular breadcrumbs on chicken or fish again... all you have to do is lightly flour the chicken, dip it in beaten egg, and coat with panko, pressing it into the chicken to help it stick. Sprinkle on some dried seasonings if you want. Then fry it up in some hot olive oil in a pan (about 4-5 minutes per side), and you have a moist, flavorful main dish.

To go as a side, I decided to just wing it and create a dipping sauce based on different recipes I'd seen. I added about 5 heaping tablespoons of apricot jam, a small amount of water (less than 1/4 cup) and heated the mixture through until the jam melted. Then I put in a glop of sour cream (my replacement for not having heavy cream) and melted that in. I served it in small bowls for dipping the chicken into, and it was great!

Sometimes less is more when it comes to flavors...