Michela Chiappa's crispy chicken milanese
A handful of simple ingredients is all you need to master Michela’s Italian classic - think crispy breadcrumbed chicken served with spaghetti and tomato sauce for a delicious dinner to please the hungriest of mouths at the table.
Chicken milanese with spaghetti in tomato sauce
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the chicken milanese2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts2 medium eggsSalt Freshly ground black pepper150g breadcrumbs 50g grated parmesan (optional)1 tbsp dried herbs (parsley, rosemary or thyme) 4 tbsp salted butter, plus extra if needed Olive oil Lemon wedges to serve
For the tomato sauce:1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed80g cherry tomatoes (optional)2 x 400g tin chopped or whole tomatoes1 tsp sugar1 tbsp tomato pureePinch of cayenne pepper1 stock cube Salt and pepper30g kale crumbs (raw kale blitzed to a crumb consistency) or fresh basil 350g dry spaghetti
Method
To make the chicken Milanese:
1. Slice each chicken breast horizontally across the middle to make 2 fillets per breast. (Depending on how big the chicken breast is, you can slice it horizontally 2-3 times to make more portions.)
2. Cover with cling film and, using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound each fillet until it is about 0.5cm thick.
3. In a shallow dish, beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
4. Place the breadcrumbs on a plate and mix in the herbs (and parmesan if using). Take each piece of chicken and dip it first in the egg, and then coat in the breadcrumbs.
5. Melt the butter with the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When the butter is frothy, fry the chicken for about 2-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through. You may need to cook the chicken in batches, depending on the size of the pan - use a teaspoon of butter and olive oil per chicken piece. (Add extra butter or a little oil before you turn the chicken if the breadcrumbs have soaked it up, or if you want the chicken to be extra crunchy.)
To make the spaghetti in tomato sauce:
1. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium-high heat and add the chopped onion, garlic and cherry tomatoes
2. Saute for a couple of minutes, and allow the tomatoes to soften. Add the tins of tomatoes, tomato puree, cayenne, sugar and crumble in the stock cube. Stir to combine.
3. Simmer the sauce gently for 10 to 15 minutes. In the meantime, bring a pot of water to the boil and cook your pasta according to the packet instructions.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir through the kale crumbs or basil.
5. Serve the Milanese with lemon wedges and the spaghetti in tomato sauce.
Top tip: you can freeze these:
Uncooked: put the breaded chicken between layers of cling film in the freezer so that they are easy to separate. Defrost and cook as directed in the recipe.
Cooked: slice them lengthwise and toss through the spaghetti to heat them OR heat them in the microwave before you serve.