Ritzy cheddar chicken breasts and more weeknight recipes to try

By Emily Weinstein, The New York Times

Ritzy Cheddar Chicken Breasts

They’re as good as they sound: cheesy chicken cutlets coated with buttery Ritz crackers. Skipping the usual flour-egg-bread crumb dredge, this recipe relies instead on a flavorful base layer of tangy sour cream, which has lactic acid that tenderizes boneless, skinless chicken breasts beautifully. When it comes to breaded white meat, thin cutlets are ideal, which you can buy from the store or achieve by slicing thick breasts in half horizontally (no pounding necessary). They cook more evenly this way, staying tender throughout as they’re quickly baked in a hot oven. Serve with something fresh — a big green salad, perhaps — to balance the wonderful richness of this nostalgic number.

By Eric Kim

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for greasing wire rack
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg white
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• 1 sleeve Ritz crackers (about 100 grams)
• 2 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Preparation

1. Position rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place an ovenproof wire rack over a sheet pan. Dab a folded-up paper towel with olive oil and rub it over the wire rack to grease it.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg white and Dijon mustard until smooth. Season with salt. Lay the chicken flat on a cutting board and carve each breast in half horizontally so you end up with four thin cutlets. Add the chicken to the sour cream mixture, and using your hands, smear the sour cream all over the chicken.

3. In a large bowl, crush the Ritz crackers into coarse pieces with your fingers. Some crackers will turn to rubble while others turn to dust. Add the cheese, garlic powder, onion powder and olive oil. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss until evenly distributed. Holding one of the chicken cutlets by its thinner end, add to the bowl with the crumbs, and using your hands, pack the crumbs onto the chicken, pressing them in to create a thick coating. Transfer the breaded chicken to the rack in the sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining three cutlets.

4. Bake the cutlets until the outsides are crispy and the insides are no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Let the chicken cool slightly so the coating can set, about 5 minutes, before transferring to plates and serving.

One-Pan Salmon Niçoise With Orzo

This one-skillet dinner has the bright flavors of a salade Niçoise but is more substantial, so you can eat it all year long, even on a chilly evening. For a happy mix of exciting textures — tender salmon and orzo, snappy green beans, juicy tomatoes — cook the orzo with shallots and olives, then in the last few minutes of cooking, nestle in the green beans and salmon fillets to cook. Meanwhile, stir together a vinaigrette that’s punchy with fresh tomatoes, vinegar, Dijon mustard and raw shallot to spoon over the finished dish. Adapt this rendition further as you like, adding anchovies with the sautéed or raw shallots, swapping the salmon for canned tuna, or adding capers or sliced cucumbers to the tomato vinaigrette.

By Ali Slagle

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large shallot, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup orzo
• Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and pepper
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1 pint cherry or other small tomatoes, halved (8 to 10 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Handful of basil leaves or pinch of thyme leaves (optional)
• 4 (4- to 5-ounce) salmon fillets, skin on or off
• 8 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths

Preparation