Chicken breasts, I made three.
Cut off the white fat
The cat will thank you for it!
Put the chicken breasts under some plastic wrap
And start beating the heck out of them, starting with the fattest part, and working your way out evenly to the thinner parts
Be gentle as it gets thinner, so you don't end up with holes
Get them to about half a centimetre thick all over
The cast of characters to crumb
Bread crumbs, dried parmesan cheese, chopped fresh parsley
Two eggs, and some cracked pepper
Whisk up the eggs and the pepper
Stir together the dry ingredients
Dip both sides of the chicken in the egg mixture
Let the excess drip off, but not too much!
And into the breadcrumbs
Turn it over, and sprinkle crumbs over any bits that missed out
Let the excess drop off
And put it aside while you do the rest
I use a mixture of olive oil and rice bran oil to shallow fry
Cover the base of a saucepan, and put over medium heat
Here's the chicken breasts - ready to go
If your chicken came with the tenderloins, use up the reast of the breadcrumbs on them. These make great snacky entrees!
Use a tiny piece to check the oil temperature. It's not hot enough yet
Still not quite hot enough ...
Get a tray out and put some paper towel on it. You'll also need your tongs. You'll need them in a hurry
Now it's ready! Lots of big bubbles coming up from around the base of the chicken, as well as the small bubbles in the pan
Now carefully add the first chicken breast
Sizzle sizzle
Have a sneak peak underneath and check for golden-brown
Flip it carefully with both the tongs and the spatula
Once it's done, plop it onto the paper towel to drain and cook the rest
The cast of characters for the sauce: marjoram, basil, minced garlic, a tin of diced tomatoes, piri-piri, tabasco (if you're brave) and half a brown onion
Chop the onion in half and take the top off, but leave the bottom intact. Peel the skin back to the base, and use a sharp paring knife to cut the onion into as fine strips as you can
Now use your chef's knife to cut the onion crossways to achieve a lovely fine dice.
You can use the onion as it is, or make it finer by slicing it over again.
Heat the oil over a high heat in a small saucepan
Add the onion, and saute it until it starts to change colour
Add the garlic and the herbs.
Stir it all around around until the herbs start to smell fantastic
Mmmm ... chunky herby onions!
Add the tin of tomatoes
Stir it all in
Add as much tabasco as you dare
Turn the heat down as low as you can, and pop the lid on
Slice up some cheese.
I like to use Colby for melting
Put the chicken on the grill tray, and arrange the cheese on the top
Slice up some carrots (or whatever veggies take your fancy) and steam them up
Rice!
Check your sauce for flavour, adjust if you need to
Plate the rice and the veggies
Is the chicken ready yet?
Yes!
Put the chicken on the rice ...
Give the sauce a final stir ...
And add it on the top. Now eat!
