Crunchy Garlic Chicken [Cook Challenge: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Cooking]

My first recipe for this cook challenge turned out lovely. The chicken had a great taste and texture. My husband said it looked too pretty to eat. But he ate it anyway. :) I even made my own dressing for the spinach leaves under the chicken. Jamie Oliver said all you ever need for a good dressing is oil, acid, and salt n' pepper. So I doused a bit of olive oil on it, freshly squeezed lemon, and dashed a bit of salt and pepper.

ingredients
1 clove garlic
1 lemon
6 cream or plain crackers
2 Tbsp butter
4 sprigs fresh italian parsley
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 large egg, preferably free-range or organic
2 skinless chicken breasts fillets, preferably free-range or organic
olive oil

instructions
To prepare your chicken: Peel the garlic and zest the lemon. Put your crackers into a food processor with the butter, garlic, parsley sprigs, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whiz until the mixture is very fine, then pour these crumbs on to a plate. Sprinkle the flour on to a second plate. Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat with a fork. Lightly score the underside of the chicken breasts. Put a square of plastic wrap over each one and bash a few times with the bottom of a pan until the breasts flatten out a bit. Dip the chicken into the flour until both sides are completely coated, then dip into the egg and finally into the flavored crumbs. Push the crumbs on to the chicken breasts so they stick—you want the meat to be totally coated.


To cook your chicken: You can either bake or fry the chicken. If baking, preheat your oven to its highest temperature (475°), place your chicken on a sheet pan and cook for 15 minutes. If frying, put a frying pan on a medium heat, add a few good lugs of olive oil and cook the chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until cooked through, golden and crisp.

To serve your chicken: Either serve the chicken breasts whole, or cut them into strips and pile them on a plate. Beautiful and simple served with a lemon wedge for squeezing over, and a tiny sprinkling of salt. Great with a lovely fresh salad or simply dressed veggies.


This recipe is taken from Jamie's Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver