As I seek to be more organised this year, one thing that I’m trying to be more regard about is menu planning. You wouldn’t think that deciding what to eat can be a real pain but it is! Especially when I have a son who only likes Western food, a daughter who loves her rice and soup and a husband who loves anything fried!
There’s no pleasing everyone all the time, but this one dish comes close. This is my version of Chicken Milanese, inspired by the version we all love at California Pizza Kitchen. When I first tried the dish I knew I HAD to re-create it at home. The crispy breaded chicken goes really well with the pasta in tangy tomato sauce and it all goes down really well with my children. Best of all, it isn’t too difficult to make.
What makes this dish special is the panko and parmesan used for breading the chicken. The panko gives the chicken a great crisp and adding parmesan to the mix gives it good flavour. Try it and tell me what you think!
- 2 boneless chicken breasts halves (ie. 1 whole chicken breast), skin off
- ½ cup plain flour
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup panko
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
- ½ tsp dried oregano or italian herbs
- Oil, for frying
- ¼ lemon (optional)
For Pasta: - 2 cups of fusilli (or any other pasta of your preference)
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tin (400g) whole peeled plum tomatoes
- Prepare the chicken by placing one half of a chicken breast at a time between pieces of cling wrap, then pounding with a meat pounder or rolling pin till the meat is about 1cm thick.
- Cut each breast half into pieces of the size that suit your needs.
(I like to cut mine into handy sized pieces that the kids can pick up to eat with their hands if they wish, but you can have them bigger or smaller as per your preference.) - In a shallow bowl, mix together the panko, parmesan cheese and oregano/italian herbs.
- Prepare the breading station by lining up the following in separate shallow bowls: (1) plain flour; (2) eggs; (3) panko-cheese-herb mix prepared in step 3 above.
- Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dip the chicken into flour, turning to coat and shaking off excess. Then dip into egg and lift out, letting excess drip off. Finally dip into the panko-cheese-herb mix, pressing firmly to help the panko adhere. Transfer to a plate or pan to rest.
- Add oil to a frying pan till about 0.5cm to 1cm deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering -- the panko should sizzle instantly when dropped into oil.
- When the oil is hot enough, gently add the chicken to the frying pan and fry until undersides are golden brown. Flip and fry until cooked through and golden brown on other side.
- Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess oil.
- Prepare the fusilli by cooking according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- To prepare the sauce, heat olive oil in a pan and fry the garlic till soft and fragrant. At this point, add tinned tomatoes with juice and continue cooking while using the spatula to break the tomato into smaller pieces. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes for the sauce to thicken slightly.
- When the sauce is ready, toss in the cooked fusilli and mix well.
- To serve, spoon fusilli onto plate with pieces of breaded chicken on the side. Add a squeeze of lemon to the chicken if desired.
My then-2-year-old tucking into a piece of breaded chicken! Best way to eat — with fingers!
Now I’m off to think about my own lunch for the day!
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