This recipe should be called Chicken Millionese because there are about a million reasons that I love it. It’s fast, fresh, filling, and flavorful- lots of Fs in that sentence, but this is definitely an A+ dish. I have had many versions of Chicken Milanese, but one of my favorites is at Cappy’s restaurant here in San Antonio, where I first tried this classic chicken paillard topped with a big leafy salad. Putting the salad on top is genius!! the contrast of textures between the soft leaves of lettuce and the crunchy chicken is phenomenal. The dressing from the salad gently trickles down over the chicken, serving as a light sauce. I love eating salad on top of many of my favorite meals- Italian salad on top of a pizza slice 👌🏻 Greek salad on top of a chicken pita 👌🏻 Slaw on top of my bbq plate👌🏻 ... you get the picture. Putting mixed greens dressed in a lemony vinaigrette on a juicy, crispy chicken breast was a natural move for me! This “insalata mista” is a delightful combo of peppery arugula, bitter radicchio, sweet tomatoes, creamy Parmesan shavings, and a bright, citrusy dressing. All your tastebuds get tickled! If you don’t like radicchio, just sub in another lettuce or skip it! I personally think that the anchovies make the dressing (giving it a punch of umami and a slightly “Caesary” essence), but you can omit them as well. This is such an easy meal to throw together on a busy weeknight, especially if you have time to prep ahead: pound out your chicken breasts earlier in the day or have your butcher do it! Once you’re ready to cook the chicken, things start to happen rapidly so make sure to have your assembly line set up and ready to go: line up the flour, egg wash, and the panko/parm mixture (I bread these with panko for added crunch, but plain breadcrumbs would work just as well). They fry up fast! Top them with the salad while they are still warm and chow down- eating a bite of salad on top of each morsel of chicken. This is the perfect summer supper!
prep time: 20 min. cook time: 10 min. serves: 2
INGREDIENTS
CHICKEN
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded a little less than 1/2” thick (trim any ragged edges)
3/4 cup flour
1 egg
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
LEMON VINAIGRETTE
1 tsp anchovy paste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
juice of a lemon (about 2 tbsp)
kosher salt and black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
INSALATA MISTA
3 cups arugula
1 cup radicchio, torn into bite size pieces
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup Parmesan shavings, reserve a few for garnish
coarse salt, such as Maldon
INSTRUCTIONS
Set up your assembly line to bread the chicken by first placing the flour in a wide shallow bowl and season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper (stir with a fork to combine). Next, add the egg and one tbsp water to another wide bowl and beat together to make an egg wash. Lastly, add the panko and Parmesan cheese to a third bowl and use your fingers to combine. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Lay the first cutlet into the flour mixture, dredging on both sides and shaking off the excess flour before dipping into the egg wash. Coat with egg wash on both sides and allow the excess to drip off before pressing the chicken into the panko, making sure the breadcrumbs adhere to both sides of the cutlet. Set the first one aside on wax paper and repeat with the second. Heat the olive oil and butter over med-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. When the oil is hot, add one of the chicken cutlets and brown about 3 minutes, until golden. Flip the chicken over and brown another 2 minutes. The breast should be fully cooked through and the panko should be a deep caramel color. Keep the first cutlet warm in a low oven or warming drawer while you fry the second one. Meanwhile, start the vinaigrette by adding the anchovy paste, mustard, and lemon juice to the bottom of a salad bowl. Stir to combine and slowly drizzle in the olive oil while still whisking to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the arugula, radicchio, tomatoes and parmesan shavings (I shave mine off a block of parm with a veggie peeler) and toss to coat in the vinaigrette. To plate, place the chicken on dinner plates and pile the salad in large mounds on top (letting a little of the chicken peak from under). Shave some more Parmesan on top and sprinkle with a little coarse salt to finish.