Saturday 2 January 2010

Smashed Chicken Night


Every other Saturday G's two boys come and spend the weekend. Needless to say these weekends are very 'male' with virtually 24 hour football related viewing or playing. Along with the predictability of the entertainment there is also the predictability of the food - sausages or chicken.

It is a sad reflection on today's society that a lot of children are missing out on one of the most fundamental and basic rites of life; sharing, eating and enjoying food, good food, fresh food, lovingly prepared food. Parents too career obsessed to worry about feeding their own children, relying on the cornucopia of the 'happy food' that lives in the freezer department and is magically awoken by the microwave. These children become suspicious of anything that isn't heralded by a cheeky pirate or a friendly tiger, they won't eat anything unless it comes in a box, is nutrition-free or is passed to them through a window. It's not just our 'boy weekends' that always frustrate me, it is also cooking in a school kitchen that highlights the fact that each generation is slowly erasing inquisitive hunger from it's instinct.

After that little rant I shall return to the recipe. Armed only with chicken breast fillets (the more flavoursome parts of the chicken would be sniffed out and rejected by O & G so it has to be the breast) I am making Smashed Chicken. It's simple, nothing new or exciting and is very cheap. But most of all, the boys actually eat it.

I haven't given quantities here as I always make it 'by eye' it is so simple. I always have breadcrumbs ready blitzed and in the freezer.



Smashed Chicken

plenty for four

4 Chicken Breast Fillets
Plain Flour
Seasoning
Spices (optional, but I always throw in a large pinch of Cayenne Pepper, Smoked Paprika, Chilli Powder, Salt & Pepper plus anything else that takes my fancy)
2-3 Eggs, beaten

  • Trim the chicken, slice off the small fillet and then slice up the breast into piece about 2-3cm wide and the width of the fillet, you should get about 5-6 pieces of chicken (including the small fillet) from one breast
  • Lay a length of cling film across your work surface, onto this place the chicken pieces with space around them. Cover with another length of cling film. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin bash the chicken firmly, but not too harshly that the chicken rips. You want to flatten the chicken to escalopes about 5mm thick.
  • Have ready three bowls; one filled with flour, one with beaten egg and one with seasoned breadcrumbs and the spices of your choice.
  • Have a lined tray ready onto which you will place the prepared chicken.
  • First take an escalope and dip into the flour to coat, then into the eggy bath onto which will stick the final coating of spicy breadcrumbs. Place on the lined tray. Repeat until all the naked chicken is clothed.
  • Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry each escalope until golden and crispy, these are so thin that the chicken only takes a couple of minutes to cook.
  • Keep everything warm in an oven whilst you finish cooking in batches. Serve on a huge platter with lots of salad and jacket potatoes or wedges.

One day I am going to replace the chicken with pork and see if they notice. . .


1 comment:

  1. I did something similar the other night for a four and nine year old. I made some chips as well that all went down very well. And I didn't have to serve it dressed as pirate, or serve it through a closed window either thank god!

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