Chicken Schnitzel & Pesto Spaetzle with a Cauliflower Sun-dried Tomato Sauce
 
 
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
for the spaetzle
  • ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup whole wheat flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup nonfat milk, or water
  • 2 eggs, beaten
for the pesto
  • 2 cups packed spinach leaves
  • ⅓ cup whole almonds
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
for the sun-dried tomato sauce
  • 2 cups cauliflower florets
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes, about 5 whole ones
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
for the chicken schnitzel
  • 1 pound chicken cutlets, pounded to ¼” thick
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • Vegetable oil, for shallow frying
Directions
for the spaetzle
  1. Bring a medium to medium-large pot of water to a boil.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together both flours, the salt, nutmeg and black pepper. Add the milk and beaten eggs then stir to combine.
  3. Using a spaetzle press, colander or slotted spoon with round holes, press the batter through with a wooden spoon so it falls/drips into the boiling water. Once you’ve pressed a bunch through, use a slotted spoon to skim the spaetzle noodles out when they’ve floated to the surface. Put them in a colander to drain while you finish making the rest.
  4. Once you’ve made all the spaetzle, spray a large frying pan with cooking spray. Heat the pan over medium-high heat and add the spaetzle. Cook, stirring as needed, until lightly browned.
for the pesto
  1. Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Toss with the spaetzle to coat.
for the sun-dried tomato sauce
  1. Bring the cauliflower, vegetable broth, garlic, dried parsley and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Carefully blend the contents of the saucepan in a high-speed blender. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil then blend again until smooth.
for the chicken schnitzel
  1. If the chicken cutlets are really big, cut them in half. Set up your breading station with three shallow bowls. Put the flour in one, whisk together the egg and Dijon in the other, and mix together the panko and dried parsley in the third. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Dip the chicken cutlet into the flour mixture and make sure it’s completely coated, shaking off any excess. Then dip it into the egg mixture and make sure it’s completely coated, letting any excess drip off. Then dip the cutlet into the panko and make sure it’s completely coated. Repeat until you’ve breaded all the chicken cutlets.
  2. Over medium heat, heat enough olive oil in a high-sided skillet so that it will come halfway up the side of the chicken. Test that your oil is ready by tossing in a couple panko breadcrumbs. If your oil isn’t hot enough, the panko will sink. If your oil is too hot, in which case you should turn the temperature down, the panko will burn. If it bubbles then your oil is ready for frying the cutlets. I cooked mine in two batches; you don’t want to overcrowd the pan. Cook the chicken for 3 minutes on each side. Make sure it registers 165 degrees F when you remove it, otherwise cook it a little longer. Remove the cutlets to a paper towel lined plate then move them to a wire cooling rack so they stay crispy. Refresh the olive oil as needed and repeat for any remaining chicken cutlets.
  3. Serve hot over the spaetzle tossed with pesto. Pour the warmed up sun-dried tomato sauce over top.
Notes
For the spaetzle, you can use all all-purpose flour if you would prefer.
I highly recommend using this pesto since it’s fresh, nutty and really easy to whip up. If you would rather use your own, you will need about ½ cup to toss with the spaetzle.
Recipe by Lemon & Mocha at http://www.lemonandmocha.com/2018/10/24/chicken-schnitzel-pesto-spaetzle-with-a-cauliflower-sun-dried-tomato-sauce/