Tgifriday'S Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Pecan-Crusted Chicken
4 skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup canola oil
Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 cup canola oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
4 teaspoons Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Salad
1 cup dried cranberries
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
12 cups romaine lettuce, chopped (2 heads)
1 cup celery, sliced (2 ribs)
2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled

Preparation

Make the pecan-crusted chicken first since it is served cold.
Pound each chicken fillet to about 1/2-inch thick. You can do this easily by covering each chicken breast in plastic wrap, and pounding with a kitchen mallet.
Combine 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, corn flake crumbs, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a shallow bowl.
Combine milk with beaten eggs in another shallow bowl.
Dump the flour into another shallow bowl.
Bread each chicken breast by coating each with flour.
Dip the flour-dusted chicken into the egg mixture.
Coat the chicken with a thick coating of the pecans and corn flake crumbs.
Preheat 1/2 cup canola oil in a large skillet over medium/low heat.
When the oil is hot, saute the chicken fillets for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown.
Cool chicken on a rack or paper-towels.
When you can handle the chicken, cover it and refrigerate it for at least two hours.
As the chicken chills, you can make the balsamic vinaigrette by combining 1 cup canola oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp salt in a blender.
Blend on low speed for just a few seconds, or until the dressing begins to thicken. Don't blend too long or your vinaigrette will get too thick, like mayonnaise.
Pour vinaigrette into a small bowl and mix in minced garlic.
Chill this until you're ready to use it.
When you're ready to build your salad, toss lettuce and celery with about 3/4 cup of the balsamic vinaigrette.
Arrange the lettuce on four plates, then sprinkle the cranberries over the lettuce (about 1/4 cup per serving).
Combine the 3 tablespoons of brown sugar with 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the mixture on each salad.
Sprinkle about 1/2 can of drained mandarin orange segments over each salad, followed by about 2 tablespoons of crumbled bleu cheese.
Slice each chicken fillet into thin strips. Arrange one sliced chicken fillet on top of each salad and serve.