Tomato by Claire Thomson (Quadrille, £22) Photography ©Sam Folan
Breadcrumbed Tomatoes Baked in Cream with Fried Chicken
A green salad, dressed simply, or some boiled green beans, might be a good serving suggestion.
Serves
4
Ingredients
- 2 large, skinless chicken breasts, cut horizontally to about 2cm thick, or 4 boneless and skinless thighs
- 100ml double cream
- 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
- 3 thyme or rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 5 tbsp plain flour
- 300g panko breadcrumbs
- 3 eggs
- 500g tomatoes, thickly sliced
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 30g Parmesan, grated
- 30g butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
Method
- Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, flatten the chicken breasts out between two sheets of baking paper until they are an even 5mm thick. Put to one side. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/Gas 6. In a bowl or jug mix, together the cream, garlic, herbs and mustard and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put to one side.
- Tip the flour into a wide, shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs into another. In a third bowl, beat the eggs with two tablespoons of water. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper, then dredge them in the flour, tapping off any excess. Dip them into the egg and then coat them in the breadcrumbs and put to one side.
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then dredge them in the flour, tapping off any excess. Dip the floured chicken pieces in the egg and then coat them with the breadcrumbs. Transfer the pieces to a plate and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook.
- Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Working in batches, fry the tomatoes for one to two minutes on each side, until golden all over. Slide the fried tomatoes out into a baking dish and pour over the cream mixture. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and bake the tomatoes for about 10–15 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and keep warm.
- While the tomato gratin is baking, heat the remaining oil and half the butter in a large frying pan over a high heat. When the mixture begins to bubble and foam, add the coated chicken pieces and cook them over a high-moderate heat fro about 3 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden and cooked through. Take care not to let the butter burn. If it starts to look like it might, add more to the pan, which should help prevent it turning completely. Remove the pan from the heat and drain the chicken pieces on kitchen paper.
- Serve the chicken whole, or cut in half or into thick strips, with the tomato gratin alongside and lemon wedges fro squeezing over.
Tomato by Claire Thomson (Quadrille, £22) Photography ©Sam Folan
