MORE PLEASE - CRAZY FOR MILANESE
Podcast news! And 3 ways with Chicken Milanese - in a Sub with Buffalo Fennel, Blue Cheese and Celery, with a rich Aubergine Gratin, and with Rice and Cucumber in Ginger-Mustard Mayo
Before we delve into the world of divine crispy chicken, let me tell you a very exciting bit of news!
I’M ON A PODCAST! This gal, who literally lives and breathes food, is now a co-host of QI’s new food podcast Lunchbox Envy. Along with my very fine and fabulous friends and QI elves Jack and Manu, each week we will deep-dive into a specific ingredient bringing you some wild facts, bonkers history and a bit of cooking tekkers from me. The first two episodes are out now, Garlic is followed by Bananas, which I don’t typically recommend together in any other circumstance. Here is a little trailer.
You can find Lunchbox Envy wherever you get your podcasts, please do like and subscribe to it if it’s up your street! It’s been the best fun to make with the best, most divine gang. It’s also been surreal to work with the team that bring us one of the nations best loved TV shows that I have watched since I was little. I have learned so much from it, both about food and broadcasting, and I really hope this is the start of something special!
And, before I forget, my annual 20% BIRTHDAY DISCOUNT is still available until the end of the month! You can upgrade to paid for a year for only £32 until this Friday, where you will get unlimited access to the archive of over 350 recipes (3.5 cookbooks worth) and all paid posts - 7 extra recipes a month.
A Chicken Milanese done well is a wonderful thing. You don’t normally catch me buying many chicken breasts, I prefer fattier, more tender thighs, but for a Milanese a breast is essential. And by “Milanese” I mean a breadcrumbed cutlet, much like the famed “Cottoletta alla Milanese”; a ginormous crumbed veal chop. The same treatment of tenderising and flattening by way of brute force is applied to a chicken breast, to achieve a large, flat and even piece of meat that is then dredged in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, before being shallow fried until golden and crisp. It’s a simple preparation by all accounts, and in that way a really quite spectacular blank canvas. I wanted to share 3 different serving suggestions for this work horse because, well, I adore it and I think it deserves its flowers for being just a great little dinner option.
We start of course with a sandwich. This is a riff on Buffalo hot wings, I suppose, although distinctly far away from it at the same time. I was inspired (I often am, in fact) by the brilliant
recipe for Buffalo Chicken Cutlets with Ranch Celery Slaw. I just thought this was such a chic re-imagining of a very delicious dish and wanted to offer up my own little adaptation. So, I present my Chicken Milanese Sub with Buffalo Fennel, Blue Cheese and Celery.
Next is something more on the Date Night side of things, a little bit more refined. It’s a Chicken Milanese with Aubergine Gratin. The gratin is a sort of cheats Aubergine Parmigiana, laced with Italian flavours but cooked in the French way ie. doused in cream. It is heaven with the crispy chicken, grown-up but also comfortingly familiar.
Finally, a not very Italian at all Chicken Milanese with Rice and Cucumber in Ginger-Mustard Mayo. I should say at this point that I actually always use the very brilliant, very crispy Japanese Panko breadcrumbs for my Milanese, and while my recipe isn’t quite katsu, this little plate of food did transport me right back to Japan. Chicken x rice x mayo will always be elite, so adding cucumber into a very delicious dressing made with Kewpie mayonnaise, fresh ginger and mustard turns means you get a divine crunchy salad in the mix too.