Sunday 21 July 2013

How to: Chicken Schnitzel

Hey Nibblers!

           Chicken Schnitzels are one of my all-time faves. They're great by themselves, in a sandwich packed with lettuce, mayo and bacon or in a salad. The only problem is I try and only gobble one but, let's face it, I don't actually just eat one, more like five in one sitting. The other thing that I find with most chicken schnitzels you buy is that most of the time, it's so thin that you're pretty much only eating the breadcrumb crust and flour. So, how do I fix this problem? Make my own 'healthier,' heartier version of chicken schnitzel!

What you'll need: (Approx. 4 servings)
- 1x chicken breast (double-breasted)
- 80g of cous cous (cooked)
- 100g of plain flour (or per required)
- 3/4 Tbs. salt
- 3/4 Tbs. garlic salt
- 1 Tbs. mixed herbs
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 2 eggs (beaten)

How to:
1. Pre-heat oven (preferably fan-forced) to 180 degrees celsius
2. Cut the double breasts in half so that you have one breast
3. Slice any excess meat underneath the breast (save these to make smaller nugget-like pieces)
4. Butterfly-cut each chicken breast (cutting the breast in half sideways so that when you open it up, it looks like a butterfly) 

5. Line the halved chicken breasts on some cling wrap or grease-proof paper
6. Add another layer of cling wrap/ grease proof paper over the breasts
7. Pound those breasts using a rolling pin or meat hammer until thin (approx. 0.5cm)
8. Mix the herbs, pepper, salt and garlic with the flour


8. Dip those chicken breasts in the beaten eggs
9. Coat them in the seasoned flour
10. Lay them on a baking tray with grease-proof paper and sprinkle with cous cous
11. Spray lightly with extra olive oil and pop into oven to bake for 45 mins or until cous cous is golden
12. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve with favourite dipping sauces         

I made three variations, the top level is the cous cous battered, the second layer is egg/floured and the third is floured and sprinkled with spring onions
The flour/egg batter compared to the cous cous coated

The verdict. The couc cous battered chicken reigned supreme! It was crispy, perfectly seasoned and a much healthier version of the schnitzel. 
The flour/egg coated chicken breast has great flavour but was drier as it did not have the protection of the cous cous in the oven. To counter-act this you would have to paste it with oil every 10 minutes. It was slightly crispy which was nice and still great in anything.
The onion sprinkled chicken pieces were not amazing. The onions burnt too quickly and it was dry. So, failed experiment on that point.

All in all, I'm really happy with the results and now have an obsession with chicken. I'm thinking of making these babies again for the finger food component of a party I'm throwing. Hope you give this a try and are all having an amazing week!

Nibble Away,
            Jo x.

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