This heat wave is out of control which makes using the oven a terrible option and its almost too hot to even stand outdoors and grill. Pan frying chicken is such a quick and simple way to serve chicken and it always has amazing flavor. When you pound chicken breasts into thin pieces it takes less than 10 minutes to cook and it won’t heat up your entire kitchen.
Fresh tomatoes are finally here! My garden is bursting with so many different varieties of cherry tomatoes. I planted a few new plants and then volunteers from last year sprang up, so I’ll be adding tomatoes to everything for the next two months.
This recipe serves 4 people but will be easy to adapt for larger groups.
What you need:
Two large chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded thin. Smaller pieces cook faster, you don’t need to cut them in half but it will take longer. Here’s some good instructions for how to do this: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-and-when-to-pound-chicken-breast-the-easiest-smartest-method-248169
1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of vegetable or canola oil
1 cup of Italian bread crumbs
1 tsp of Italian seasoning
2 eggs
4 slices of mozzarella (optional)
1 cup of mixed cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup loosely packed julienned fresh basil (thinly sliced basil)
Begin by pounding the chicken breasts thin and giving a light dusting of salt and pepper. Meanwhile, beat two eggs together and pour onto a dinner plate. I think its easier to coat the chicken with the egg on a plate versus in a bowl. Stir in one tsp of Italian seasoning. On another dinner plate, spread out the breadcrumbs. Meanwhile, heat the oil together in a large skillet and warm over medium heat. You can use one oil exclusively but I find olive oil alone to be over powering and it also burns quicker than vegetable oil. Combining the two is a nice flavor combination and gives you a little more wiggle room on the heat.
When the oil is hot (but definitely not smoking…should see an occasional bubble) dip the chicken one at a time in the egg mixture followed by the bread crumbs. Make sure to coat the chicken breast entirely with the crumbs. Slowly add the chicken to the hot oil with a pair of tongs. You can repeat and fit in 2-3 at a time depending on the size of the pan. Do not overcrowd it. Once you have placed the chicken in the skillet, do not move it for at least 4 minutes. Gently lift the side of one breast and see if its golden brown. If it is gently, turn it and cook for another 4 minutes. They should take a maximum of 5 minutes per side, minimum of 3 minutes. Once the chicken is golden brown on both sides, remove from the oil and place on paper towels to remove excess oil. Sprinkle with some more salt immediately after removing from the heat. This is crucial. Set aside.
If you would like to add cheese (why not?) place the cooked chicken on a baking pan and layer with mozzarella. A quick 2 minutes under the broiler should melt the cheese without over cooking the chicken. If you need to keep the chicken warm while preparing other foods, simply place in the oven at the lowest setting until you are ready to eat or save the broiling part for just before serving. On a hot day, this chicken tastes excellent at room temperature.
For the topping, combine tomatoes, oil, and vinegar with freshly ground salt and pepper and half the basil in a bowl. Serve over top of the chicken and add remaining basil as garnish to each slice. We served this with a side of sautéed zucchini, corn, onions, and peppers and the whole meal was perfect.
Enjoy!
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