Crunchy Garlic Chicken

Jamie Oliver delivers another great recipe. Easy, simple, flavorful, and healthy. I used to watch his show "The Naked Chef" on the food network when I was in college. I remember upon first hearing the name of his show I pictured some gorgeous guy, wearing only an apron, making food. Hmmm maybe unsanitary, but definitely worth checking out. I admit I may have been a bit disappointed when I discovered the term "naked" referred to his simple, unadorned approach to food, not being physically naked. (Oh, how young and naive I was). However, his show did inspired me, I would watch and say to myself, that looks like something I could do. I love him and his recipes. Now that I'm attempting to eat "clean", I have been getting into his recipes even more. Every time I make this chicken I wonder why I don’t make it more often. It is relatively easy and the chicken comes out really moist and flavorful. If my boyfriend is around I will sometimes have him cut the chicken breasts into strips so I can make chicken tenders. I have prepared this both ways, baked and fried, and I prefer baked (this also makes it more "clean"). Both methods yield the same tender chicken, but when I fry them, I find the coating comes off the chicken too easily. Maybe it’s because I don’t pat the crumbs onto the chicken breasts with my hands. I try to do it with tongs, since I cannot and will not touch raw meat, which probably isn’t the most effective method. Hopefully you are a stronger person than I am and will be able to do it with your hands and as a result have a beautiful coating that doesn't slip off the chicken.



Crunchy Garlic Chicken
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Serves 2

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2-3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 lemon, zested
1/3 c bread crumbs
2 Tbsp butter
4 sprigs fresh parsley (or about 1 Tbsp dried)
1-2 Tbsp fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (opt)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 generous Tbsp flour
1 egg

Combine garlic, lemon zest, breadcrumbs, butter and parsley, cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper; pulse til mixture is finely ground and well combined. Pour onto a plate.

Add the 2 Tbsp flour to another plate. Crack the egg in a bowl, and lightly beat with a fork.

Take the chicken breast and dip into the flour to completely coat both sides. Then dip into the egg, then into the breadcrumb mixture. Push the crumbs onto the chicken so they stick.

Either fry or bake your chicken. To fry, just add some oil (I use grapeseed, but olive oil would be fine) to a pan and add the chicken. Cook 4-5 min on each side, until well browned on each side and cooked through. To bake chicken, preheat oven to 450F and cook chicken on a pan for about 15 minutes, until done. I like to put a wire rack on my pan and place the chicken on the rack, that way the bottom gets nice and crispy like the top.

Squeeze lemon juice over chicken before serving, cut into strips if desired.

Source: adapted from Jamie’s Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver