Parmesan Crumbed Chicken Recipe

Chicken breast pieces are coated in a combination of fresh breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh herbs, and then pan-fried until the coating is crisp and golden.

Instructions for making fresh breadcrumbs are included below, but if you have some already made, you will need 120 grams (2 cups). We use a chewy, country-style bread for the breadcrumbs.

Use your favourite herb or herb combination in the coating. We use a mixture of parsley, basil and thyme.

The chicken is best cooked just before serving. We like to serve it with a creamy potato or sweet potato mash, green beans and lemon wedges.

Serves about 4.

We use a 20ml tablespoon and 250ml measuring cup for all of our recipes.

120g day-old bread with crust removed (we use pane di casa bread)
66g (3/4 cup) finely grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 eggs
20ml (1 tablespoon) milk
50g (1/3 cup) plain flour
460g chicken breast fillets (about 2 single chicken breast fillets) or chicken tenderloins
About 1/2 cup oil, for pan-frying

Cut bread into small chunks and place in a food processor.

Process bread on high speed for about one minute to produce fine crumbs.

Mix breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, herbs and pepper together in a large shallow, flat-bottomed dish.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs and milk together using a fork or whisk.

Spread flour on a large plate or in a large shallow, flat-bottomed dish.

If using tenderloins, remove white tendons.

If using chicken breasts, detach the tenderloins (if present). Remove white tendons and any fat from chicken. Set tenderloins aside until required. Cut breasts horizontally.

Cover chicken breast slices with a freezer bag and lightly pound with the flat side of a meat mallet to a uniform thickness.

Arrange the dish of flour, bowl of egg mixture, and dish of breadcrumbs in a line.

When crumbing the chicken, use one of your hands to coat the chicken with dry ingredients and the other to turn the chicken in the egg mixture. This helps prevent your fingers from becoming coated with a thick layer of breadcrumb mixture.

Using one hand (this will be your 'dry ingredients hand'), place one piece of chicken in the flour. Turn the chicken over a couple of times, gently patting the flour onto the chicken to lightly but completely coat. © exclusivelyfood.com.au

Shake the chicken above the plate to remove any excess flour, and then place the flour-coated chicken in the egg mixture. Using the fingertips of your 'wet ingredients hand', turn the chicken over in the egg mixture a couple of times. The breadcrumbs won't adhere well to parts of the chicken that have not been coated with egg mixture, so make sure the chicken is completely coated. Lift the chicken out of the egg mixture, hold it above the bowl for a couple of seconds to allow the excess egg mixture to drip off, and then place the chicken on the breadcrumb mixture.

Using your 'dry ingredients hand', scoop up some of the breadcrumb mixture and spread it over the piece of chicken. Press the breadcrumb mixture onto the chicken. Flip the chicken piece over and press the crumbs onto the second side.

Place crumbed chicken on a plate or in a container and repeat the crumbing process with the remaining pieces of chicken.

When all of the chicken has been crumbed, cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. This step helps prevent crumbs falling off in the pan when frying the chicken.

If you will be pan-frying the chicken in batches and wish to keep the initial batches warm, preheat your oven to about 130 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Celsius fan-forced).

To pan-fry the chicken, heat oil in a heavy-based, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Use a non-stick frying pan so the crumb coating doesn't stick to the pan. To avoid overcrowding the pan, cook the chicken in batches. The number of batches will be determined by the size of your frying pan and you'll need to divide the oil evenly among the batches.

When the oil is hot, add the chicken in a single layer. During the cooking time, you may need to adjust the heat. If the pan gets too hot, the crumbs will burn before the chicken cooks through. Fry chicken until the crumbs are light golden brown on the first side, and then turn chicken pieces over. Fry on the second side until the crumbs are light golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. We cook the chicken for about three minutes on each side.

Transfer cooked chicken to a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess oil. If desired, place chicken in an ovenproof dish and keep warm in a preheated oven. Wipe the pan out with paper towels between each batch of chicken to remove any crumbs. This prevents overcooked loose crumbs from adhering to the next batch of chicken. Serve hot. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au