Here’s how to make Andy Allen’s Chicken Parma with Roasted Tomato Sugo & Prosciutto Shards…
Apparently you don’t need to be into healthy cooking to be a MasterChef contestant, but this recipe from the 2012 winner of MasterChef Australia certainly doesn’t lack flavour! Enjoy it on your treat day.
FOR THE CHICKEN
What You Need
1 loaf stale sourdough bread
1 tbs olive oil
5 thyme sprigs
2 cloves garlic
4 chicken breasts
3 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup milk
½ cup plain flour
2 litres canola oil
8 slices prosciutto
100g grated parmesan
Fresh cress to garnish
FOR THE ROASTED TOMATO SUGO
500g roma tomatoes
100ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4 cloves garlic
1 large brown onion, finely diced
10 thyme sprigs plus a handful of leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbs salt
1 tbs black pepper
½ cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped
Method
1/ Preheat the oven to 150°C.
2/ Slice the sourdough into 1.cm slices and then into cubes about 1. x 1.cm. Place the bread cubes on an oven tray and drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil. Scatter the thyme sprigs over the bread, and place garlic cloves onto the tray. Toss the bread cubes around so each is coated in the olive oil. Place the bread into the oven for 20 minutes or until the bread is dry and lightly browned. Remove from oven. Blitz the bread cubes in a food processor until you have a rough crumb.
3/ Make the Roasted Tomato Sugo. Slice the tomatoes into quarters. Lie them on an oven tray and drizzle with olive oil. Throw in the thyme sprigs and 2 garlic cloves. Roast for 45 minutes or until completely soft. Slice the 2 remaining garlic cloves. In a fry pan sauté the onion and garlic over a medium to low heat until the onion is translucent. Add the thyme leaves and stir. Add the chopped roasted tomatoes, and discard the roasted garlic and thyme. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the lemon juice and 100ml olive oil. Simmer for 3 minutes and stir in fresh parsley.
4/ With a meat mallet, beat the chicken fillets until they are an even thickness.
5/ In a bowl, mix the egg and milk until well combined. Dust the chicken in flour, shake off any excess, then dip the chicken into the egg mixture. Remove any excess egg mix, then coat the chicken in the breadcrumbs.
6/ You may want to dip the chicken back in the egg mix and breadcrumbs for a double crumbed coating. In a large saucepan, preheat the canola oil to 180°C and fry chicken in batches until crisp and golden. Remove from oil and set aside to drain on paper towels.
7/ Preheat the oven to 160°C. Place the prosciutto in between two sheets of baking paper and 2 trays to keep it flat and place in oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool and crisp up.
8/ To serve: place a generous amount of the Roasted Tomato Sugo over the deep fried chicken breast and top with grated parmesan. Place under the grill until the cheese is golden.
9/ Top with the prosciutto shards and garnish with watercress.
SERVES 4. Per 221g serving: 2 300kJ, 25g fat (8g sat), 31g carbs, 670mg sodium, 1g fibre, 47g protein
Extract from The Next Element, New Holland, R254
