We are lucky to have delicious recipes in the United States that combine meat and seafood. Today we share with you a typical Eastern recipe that will delight young and old alike! The Chicken Chesapeake is a delicious chicken recipe, combining tender, savory chicken with a full-flavored imperial crab.

While you can find it in most restaurants in the area, it is really easy to make at home, you must try it 🙂

CHICKEN CHESAPEAKE INGREDIENTS:

• 4 chicken cutlets (Or skinless chicken breast cut in half)
• 1 cup of blue crab meat 
• 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon of parsley
• ¼ cup of mayonnaise
• 1 knob of butter (or cooking spray)

For the Old Bay sauce

• 1 Pint Heavy whipping cream
• 1 knob of butter (or cooking spray)
• ¼ cup of French's dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoon flour
• Old Bay, salt, black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl, gently mix the crab meat (remove any shell bits), mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of Old Bay, bread crumbs, and parsley. Be careful not to puree the meat.

Form 4 crab balls and put them on a non-stick baking sheet or aluminum foil, cook the crab meat mixture for 7-8 minutes, take it out and let it rest outside.

Step 2 - Preparing the Old Bay topping sauce: Using a saucepan, melt a knob of butter then whisk two tablespoons of flour until uniformly mixed. Pour the whipping cream slowly into it while still whisking until the mixture is smooth. Add the mustard, a teaspoon of Old Bay & a teaspoon of 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce. Stir gently and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat to very low and stir every couple of minutes with the pan uncovered until thickened.

Step 3: In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the seasoning to the cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper before browning in the melted butter. Allow 5-7 minutes on each side for a nice brown color. The chicken should be almost cooked through, but not all the way through, it will finish cooking in the oven.

Step 4: On the previously used baking sheet, place each cutlet and place a crab mixture ball on top of each. 
Put the whole thing back in the oven for about 10 minutes, the crab should be golden brown.

Step 5: Turn off the heat under the sauce skillet, let it rest and cool down until the chicken finishes cooking. If you find that the sauce is not thick enough, you can use a little potato or corn starch to thicken it (dissolve a teaspoon of cornstarch into a bit of water, add it to the sauce and stir gently until the sauce is thicker).

Step 6: Remove the cutlets from the oven, and place each cutlet on a plate. Pour a little sauce over each one and don't forget to garnish with a little parsley. Serve your delicious Chicken Chesapeake with your favorite side dish. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What crab meat should I use?

Obviously, we recommend using the best possible quality US-picked crab meat - blue crab is recommended. Fine and tasty meat will make all the difference. Avoid imported crab meat if your budget allows it.

Where does the recipe for Chicken Chesapeake come from?

The recipe is typical of the eastern United States, particularly in Maryland, the state being well known for its seafood cuisine.

Are there any ingredient variations?

There is actually no standard recipe for Chicken Chesapeake, it really varies from family to family and restaurant to restaurant.

• Some wrap the chicken in a slice of bacon or simply sprinkle the final result with small bacon shavings.
• It is also possible to add a good shredded cheese into the crab mix (a sharp cheddar cheese for example) to make the dish more gourmet. The quantities of seasoning can also vary, the best is to adapt according to your taste.
• Some variations of the recipe use lemon juice mixed in with the crab at the first step for a bit of bitterness.
• If your crab mixture is too crumbly to form balls, add an egg to it

Finally, if you don't like using butter, virgin olive oil will also work.

What to serve the Chicken Chesapeake with?

Feel free to accompany with side dishes such as green vegetables. Our favorites are green beans, cherry tomatoes lightly candied in the pan, mashed potatoes, or even a little rice. 

OTHER CHICKEN RECIPES

RUTH’S CHRIS STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST RECIPE

GLUTEN FREE CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP RECIPE

CHICKEN WITH WHITE WINE CREAM SAUCE