Chive Crusted Chicken Thighs & Sunflower Sprout Salad

Spring is by far my favorite season of the year. Everyone starts to get excited about the warmer weather, flowers begin to bloom like crazy, and the farm stands at Central Farm Markets become packed with fun, new produce for me to play with!The Montgomery County Food Council has a contest running called the Eat Local Challenge. Contestants are given a virtual basket of seasonal ingredients that can be found locally and are challenged to create an original recipe using these ingredients. I’ve decided to put my recipe-creating skills to the test and create my own. The ingredients I’ve used from their virtual basket are: chicken thighs, Dress It Up Dressing, eggs, chives and radishes. Other ingredients in the basket are lamb and beets. One prize for this contest is having the winning recipe shown as a demo at Bethesda Central Farm Market!I decided to test my breading and frying skills and added some fresh chives to the breadcrumbs. A salad on the side gave me the perfect opportunity to showcase two other fabulous items that have popped up this Spring - sunflower sprouts and tomatoes!Unlike the common red globe radish, the watermelon radish has a muted green to white exterior and a fleshy, bright-pink interior. It is also much larger than a typical radish, weighing up to one pound. The flavor is less peppery and much sweeter than other radishes. Radishes are a wonderful source of vitamins A and C, and due to their water content, are great for maintaining hydration.I used chicken thighs from Springfield Farm, one of our farms that practices sustainable agricultural methods and where the animals are given no hormones, chemicals or antibiotics. There are currently three generations of the same family working on the farm! They raise chicken, turkeys, pigs, and cows on almost 70 acres in Baltimore County. The family still lives on the property in a house that was built by their ancestors almost 300 years ago. Springfield Farm will be at all three of our markets this season!And now it's time to get to the recipe! As always, I’ve specified where I purchased each ingredient from the market in parentheses.

Chive-Crusted Chicken Thighs with Sunflower Sprout Salad

This recipe makes 4 servings.INGREDIENTS

• 4 Chicken Thighs (Springfield Farm)
• 4 Tbsp. Dress it Up Dressing Champagne Vinaigrette
• 2 Eggs (Liberty Delight Farms)
• 1 Bunch Chives, finely chopped to equal ½ cup (Two Acre Farm)
• 1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
• Salt and Pepper to taste

• 1 Medium Watermelon Radish (Bending Bridge Farm)
• 8 Green Tiger Tomatoes (Toigo Orchards)
• 4 Cups Sunflower Sprouts (Young Harvests)
• 2 Tbsp Dress it Up Dressing’s Champagne Vinaigrette

DIRECTIONSMarinate the chicken thighs overnight or at least 3 hours in the dressing.Preheat the oven to 350.Whisk the eggs and place in a shallow dish. Combine the chives and the bread crumbs and salt and pepper to taste, and place in a shallow dish.Pat chicken thighs dry, wiping off excess dressing. Dip one chicken thigh into the eggs, coating it completely on all sides. Dip the thigh in the chive mixture, making sure to coat all sides. Repeat with remaining chicken thigh.Heat about ¼ inch of canola oil in a medium sized pan. When the chicken thighs are breaded and the oil is hot, place the chicken in the pan for about 1 minute per side. Place seared thighs on an oven sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until cooked through.Meanwhile, make the salad. Slice the watermelon radish into rounds. Cut the rounds into 8 slices. Cut the tomatoes into quarters. Place sunflower sprouts, radish slices, and tomatoes in a bowl. Add the dressing. Toss to combine.Let chicken thighs cool to room temperature. Slice and place on salad. Enjoy!