Poblano Chicken Popper With Summer Squash Medallions

To spice things up, Poblano Chicken Popper with Summer Squash Medallions is oozing with cream cheese and topped with punchy red scallions and piquant Parmesan cheese. Yum!

Ingredients

1.5lbs chicken breast, butterflied into cutlets

1 poblano pepper, seeded and minced small

1 block cream cheese

1-2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 c. shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bunch red scallion, whites minced small, greens thinly sliced for garnish

1 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning chicken

1 tsp pepper, plus more for seasoning chicken

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 c. Panko bread crumbs, optional

Summer Squash Medallions

2 summer squash, sliced into ½ medallions

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp pepper
2 c. Panko bread crumbs, seasoned

1 c. shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

Aioli, optional

1 c. mayonnaise

1 clove garlic, minced small

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

Paprika, pinch

White sugar, pinch

Preparation

1. Clean and cut all produce and make sure your chicken is butterflied into thin cutlets. Preheat oven to 375°F. 
2. Combine the cream cheese, Parmesan, cheddar, poblano, garlic, scallion whites, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. 
3. Season the chicken cutlets well on both sides with salt and pepper, and place on a greased baking sheet. Taking a medium-size rubber spatula, spread the mixture evenly over the chicken cutlets, patting down as necessary, until the cutlets are totally covered on the top side. Add the panko if using, (I recommend it; It adds a nice crunch even if you don’t use a lot, really evens out the texture!) and set aside.
4. Place squash in a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper while moving the squash around to get a nice, even coat. 
5. Dredge the medallions gently in the panko, (you don’t need as much as you think) and place on a greased baking sheet like the chicken. Add the leftover panko, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake both the squash and chicken for 25-35 minutes, removing when chicken is white all the way through and the inside of the squash is nice and soft with a crunchy outer coating. 
7. While squash and chicken are baking, whip all the aioli ingredients together, then drizzle over the squash, garnish with the scallion greens, and enjoy!