Lemon and Thyme Chicken Escalope with Tomato Salad
The crunchy lemon and thyme chicken escalope, sweet tomato salad and roasted garlic yoghurt makes a light colourful weekday supper which is perfect for a spring evening.
This is an easy dish to make. There are a few different parts to prepare but each one is very quick and simple.
You can make everything except the chicken in advance if you like. Just take the tomato salad out of the fridge 20 minutes before you want to serve it.
Ingredients
Chicken Escalope
2 large chicken breasts (approx 200g each)
2 pieces of white bread
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Zest of 1 1/2 lemons
Salt and pepper for seasoning
40g plain flour
1 large beaten egg
2tbsp olive oil
20g unsalted butter
Tomato Salad
400g baby tomatoes various colours
1 small red onion
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp caster sugar
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
Garlic Yoghurt
150g Greek Yoghurt
1 large garlic clove
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of black pepper
Method
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 mins Cooking time: 20 mins
You will need a heavy based large frying pan and a blender.
Pre-heat oven to 200c/180c Fan/Gas Mark 6
Brush the unpeeled garlic clove with olive oil and place on a baking tray for 15 minutes. Add the bread to the baking tray for the last 8 minutes. Toasting the bread will make very fine breadcrumbs.
Meanwhile, prepare the tomato salad. Halve and thinly slice the red onion and place in a large bowl. Cut the tomatoes in half and add to the bowl. Mix the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper together to make a dressing. Pour over the tomatoes and onion and gently mix until everything is coated.
When the bread and garlic are ready, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool. Set out two large plates and a bowl. Pour out the flour onto one plate and beat the eggs in the bowl. The other plate is for the breadcrumbs.
To make the breadcrumbs, break up the toasted bread slices and put in a blender. Blend on the highest setting until it forms very fine breadcrumbs. Add the lemon zest and thyme leaves. Blend again very briefly until it is just combined. If you blend too much, the flavour of the lemon and thyme disappears.
Tip the breadcrumbs out onto your second plate. This is now ready for you to coat your chicken. Remove your cooled roasted garlic clove from the baking tray and put the baking tray next to your flour, eggs and breadcrumbs.
To make your escalopes, cut the chicken breast in half along the long side. Place on cling film and put another layer of cling film on top. Bash with a rolling pin until the escalopes are a few millimetres thick.
Dip each of the flattened chicken pieces in the flour then beaten egg then breadcrumbs and place on the baking tray until you are ready to use them.
Heat the oil and butter in the frying pan until the butter is foaming. Gently place two chicken escalopes in the frying pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Be careful not to let the pan get too hot or the breadcrumbs will burn. The butter should reduce the heat of the oil and help with this.
When the escalopes are cooked, take them out of the pan and drain on kitchen roll. Cover with foil to keep them warm. Fry the second two escalopes and place them on the kitchen roll under the foil.
While the chicken is resting, make the roasted garlic yoghurt. Peel the garlic and mash with a fork or in a pestle and mortar. Mix into the yoghurt and season with salt and pepper.
To serve, divide the tomato salad between the plates, add a chicken escalope and a generous spoon of the garlic yoghurt. Maybe add a slice of sourdough on the side to mop up the juices at the end too.
