Avocado Smothered Chicken

Avocado is usually one of those things in our house that ends up in salsa or guacamole and not much else.  I blame it on my husband who generally steers away from avocado.  However, lately he's been asking for a little avocado slices on the side when we have Mexican oriented food.

So recently I'd been looking at different ways to smother chicken.  We have a few recipes we like.  Alice Springs Chicken and one smothered in a brown sugar glaze, onions, and bacon come to mind.  I'd had this very simple recipe in my "to make" file for a very long time that was basically a breaded chicken breast topped with slices of avocado and a sour cream sauce.  I wondered about taking that further with salsa and cheese, and this is what I came up with.  The breading is the same as I use for my Southern Fried Fish with a little chili powder thrown in for good measure.

Avocado Smothered Chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all purpose flour (or gluten free flour)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 cup salsa
2 avocados, sliced
1/2 cup Monterrey Jack cheese

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.

Dip chicken breasts in egg mixture, coating well. Then dip in cornmeal mixture, turning over to coat both sides, patting it in slightly.

Once your oil is hot, place chicken in pan.

Cook on each side until golden brown on both sides. Cook in batches if necessary. Drain on paper towel lined plate while cooking the next batch.

Once chicken is cooked through, place on baking sheet. Top with salsa, avocado, and cheese. Put in broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serves 4.