Chicken parmigiana

INGREDIENTS

4 skinless chicken breast

50g plain flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

vegetable oil, for shallow-frying

4 slices smoked ham

4 slices mozzarella

PARMESAN AND HERB CRUMBS

1 loaf day-old unsliced white bread, crust removed and bread roughly chopped

50g finely grated parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped oregano

NAPOLI SAUCE

1kg vine-ripened tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small brown onion

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons finely chopped oregano

1 small handful basil, chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 120°C.

To prepare the crumbs, spread the bread on a baking tray. Bake for 15–20 minutes, turning occasionally, to dry out slightly; the bread should not be completely dry, just with a stale texture. Blend in batches in a food processor, until coarse. Transfer 2 cups of the crumbs to a large bowl. Stir in the parmesan and oregano and set aside. Store leftover crumbs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

To make the napoli sauce, bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Score a cross in the base of the tomatoes and remove the cores. Blanch the tomatoes for 10 seconds, or until the skins begin to lift from the flesh. Drain and refresh under cold water. Peel the tomatoes and discard the skins. Cut in half and remove and discard the seeds. Coarsely chop the flesh. Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan and cook the onion and garlic until softened. Add the tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the tomato softens. Add the tomato paste, sugar and oregano and gently simmer for 10–15 minutes, to make a thick sauce. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper.

Increase the oven temperature to 180°C.

Butterfly the thickest part of the chicken. Place between two sheets of baking paper and using a meat mallet, flatten the chicken breasts out to an even thickness. Coat the chicken in flour, dip in egg then coat in parmesan and herb crumbs, pressing gently to secure.

Heat enough oil to shallow-fry, about 2 cm, in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and just cooked. Drain on paper towel.

Arrange the crumbed chicken on two baking trays. Spoon napoli on top and cover with a slice each of smoked ham and mozzarella. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

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