Crispy Falafel-Breaded Chicken with Cucumber Salad

Votes: 1

Time: 35 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 4 - 6

The Middle Eastern dish falafel—fried balls of crushed chickpeas with spices—is loved not only in their native country but all over the world. For ease of preparation, they even sell ready-made dry mixes that simply need to be diluted with water and fried. But this mix also has an interesting alternative use. Use it as a breading for chicken breasts. Roll chicken pieces in the falafel mix and quickly fry in oil, then transfer to the oven and finish cooking. The chicken turns out tender and juicy, with a crispy crust and an oriental flavor. Serve it with a light cucumber salad with mint and dill, dressed with yogurt.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of any loose, tender bits (about 700g)
0.5 tbsp. falafel mixes
Vegetable oil, for frying

Salad

3 Kirby cucumbers, diced
0.5 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, coarsely torn
1/4 cup soft sprigs of fresh dill, coarsely chopped
1/4 red onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 small clove of garlic, crushed
1.5 tsp coarse salt
1 lemon

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Recipes with similar ingredients: chicken breasts, cucumbers, dill, mint

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Cooking planWhile the chicken is baking, prepare the salad.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Place a small rack on a baking sheet.

ChickenPlace the falafel mixture in a pie dish or other shallow bowl. Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and black pepper to taste and coat them in the falafel mixture, shaking off any excess.
Carefully place the chicken, smooth side down, into the hot oil, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook until browned, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Cook the remaining chicken pieces in the same manner. Transfer the chicken to the prepared rack. Cook until firm but springs back slightly when pressed, 6 to 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the yogurt salad.In a small bowl, combine the mint, cucumbers, dill, onion, garlic, and salt. Finely grate the lemon zest and squeeze out the juice. Stir the yogurt into the salad.

Arrange the chicken on a large platter and serve with the salad, or divide the chicken breasts among 4 plates and serve with the salad.

Note

Don't throw away those trimmed chicken breast ends! You can thread them onto wooden skewers and make kebabs, grill them as a burrito filling, or use them in any stir-fry. Coat them, shake them, and fry them Middle Eastern-style. A falafel mix with exotic seasonings gives the chicken a crispy, fresh crust.