Popchips and KitchenSurfing Event + a Challenge

This past week, I attended a super fun (and yummy) event at Workbar in Cambridge, MA. Blog and Tweet Boston threw it in conjunction with KitchenSurfing and PopChips. What was the deal? Well, it was a cooking competition of sorts. KitchenSurfing and PopChips challenged some local chefs to create yummy tidbits using PopChips. The results? Well, they were pretty, pretty surprising but most importantly they were pretty, pretty tasty.

The recipes I tasted were delicious and the fact that all of these talented chefs incorporated PopChips into each and every recipe was pretty freaking amazing. Decisions, decisions my friends. We had a Popchips Chicken & Waffle from Jen Rogers. The bite was yummy but unfortunately there was no trying her spicy Bloody Mary due to the little bun in this oven. The other bloggers swore it was one of the best they had ever tried. Another option was a Vietnamese Bahn Mi Sandwich from Mark O'Leary and Justin Hacket. Maybe it's because I am a breadaholic these days or perhaps it was the fact that they worked Popchips into nearly every piece of this sammie but I was smitten as a kitten... and might have begged for seconds by telling the guys I like their "buns". The third and final option was a tasty Corn & Cheddar Popchips Soup by Jitti Chaithiraphant. Such a great and warm option for a chill Boston night.  Each and every one of us finished this bowl to the bottom. All delicious but there could only be one that got my vote for the night... and my vote went to? THE BUNS that housed the Vietnamese Bahn Mi Sandwich!

So what was the challenge that I talk about in my post title? Well, Boston Blog and Tweet as well as Popchips and KitchenSurfing, challenged us bloggers to create our own recipes using Popchips. At first I was thinking that I wouldn't be able to pull something together, being that I am obviously no top chef but then I got to thinking about it and I decided to tweak a recipe that I already created, incorporating Popchips into the mix.

What you'll need for a dinner for two:

• 2 Large Boneless Chicken Breasts
• 4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons of Kosher Salt
• 1 Tablespoon of Black Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon of Onion Salt
• 1 Tablespoon of Garlic Salt
• 1 Tablespoon of Parsley
• 1 tablespoon of Thyme
• 1-2 Tablespoons of Crushed Red Pepper (to taste)
• 1/4 Cup of Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Small Bags of Original Flavor Popchips

To start this recipe, place your chicken breasts in a ziplock storage back with your Olive Oil and Spices. The chicken can marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes but I set mine up overnight, which can't hurt the flavor. When you are ready to start cooking, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. At this point, crush up two small bags of Original Flavor Popchips (note: it's more effective to crush these in the bag before opening) and combined them in a bowl with the Parmesan cheese and a bit of salt and pepper. This is the "breading" that you will use to coat your chicken with. I found that my chicken was nice and juicy, with a coating of olive oil and spices. I simply placed it in the PopChips coating, evenly on both sides, and was ready to go.

I wanted to get a nice brown on these but I also love baking my chicken. Solution? Pan fry each side then bake thems babies! I heated a little olive oil in a fry pan and seared the cutlets on both sides until I had my desired brown.

Placing both cutlets into an ovensafe dish, I cooked them for 35 minutes at 375 degrees. Depending on the thickness of your cutlets, your cook time could vary so keep checking on it, like I did. I didn't tell my husband that I made this coating out of Popchips before feeding it to him but he was extremely complimentary, actually commenting on how delicious the meal was. It had a kick because of the red pepper but a nice crust due to the Popchips. Then I told him that I made the coating with Popchips. Let's just say that he was pretty amazed, much like I was with the chefs at the KitchenSurfing event!

So what do you think of my Popchips creation?