By Matthew Luca
Chicken / Pollo alla Milanese
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 Medium sized Chicken breasts
150g Breadcrumbs
200g plain flour (seasoned with salt & pepper)
3 large eggs (beaten)
12 cherry tomatoes or 4 large plum tomatoes (cut, diced)
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Handful of chopped Basil
Handful of chopped Parsley
2 cloves Garlic
Bag of Spinach
Bag of rocket leafs
Half a lemon
Salt & Pepper
2 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
500ml of olive oil
400ml water
Cling film
Method:
Pressing the chicken: Place Chicken breasts/fillets onto a chopping board and lay inside up, with a sharp utility knife score the chicken along the thicker parts being careful not to cut all the way through until fillets begin to flatten out.
Place fillets between two sheets of cling film allowing a 4 inch gap between each piece of chicken. Carefully using a rolling pin or meat tenderiser beat the chicken until flat or 1/2 inch thick and then turn over and beat the other side until a little bigger, being careful not to hit to hard and pierce the chicken.
The Marinade: In a large mixing bowl place the flattened chicken into the blow and add 4 tablespoons of olive oil, juice of half a lemon, season with salt and pepper and rub into the chicken until coated and then cover the bowl with cling film and rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
Coating: Line up 3 large bowls, 1) seasoned flour 2) beaten eggs 3) breadcrumbs,
remove the chicken from the marinade and cover each breast with flour, then egg wash followed by a coating of breadcrumbs and set aside.
Cook: Add 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil in to a large pan and place the chicken Milanese onto medium heat for 3-4 minutes cooking on each side until golden brown. If your unsure when the chicken is cooked you can use a temperature probe or cut the fillet to see if cooking is complete. When ready let rest on a board for 2 minutes before serving.
The Sauce: While the chicken is cooking in another pan cut the cherry tomatoes and place in a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, and the balsamic vinegar, crushed clove of garlic and put on a high heat until the tomatoes begin to soften (1-2 minutes), then slowly add 400ml of water along with the tomato puree and some fresh basil, stir in the tomato puree to make a good sauce consistency, with a masher press the tomatoes into the sauce to release their natural taste into the sauce, cook for a further 2 minutes, stir and season to your liking with salt and pepper.
To accompany: In a 3rd pan place the spinach on a medium heat along with 1 clove of chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and some salt & pepper, begin to wilt down the spinach until its half wilted.
To Plate: Place some tomato sauce in the middle of the plate followed by a portion of wilted spinach, cut the Chicken Milanese in half and stack the 2 pieces on top of the spinach. to garnish add a few rocket leafs, a light shaving of parmesan cheese, Parsley and drizzle over a little olive oil.
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