Tuscan Chicken
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
- 4 chicken breasts, skin on or off
- 4 cups/1 litre/1 quart water
- 5 tablespoons fine salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Oil for frying
- 1 white or brown onion, peeled and diced
- 200g/7ozs cherry tomatoes, halved (or 175g/6ozs sun dried tomatoes, drained)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
- 150g/5ozs baby spinach
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 200ml/7flozs evaporated milk
- 3 tablespoons cream or cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon chicken powder
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast or grated parmesan
- Chopped parsley to serve
Step 1 - If you have time, brine the chicken breasts to keep them juicy and tender. All you need is 30-60 minutes. Dissolve the salt in the water - I dissolve the salt in 1/4 cup of hot water and them top it up with cold water and mix in the garlic powder. Place in a container in the fridge for 60 minutes.
Step 2 -Place the beaten egg in one shallow bowl and mix the flour, salt and pepper together in another shallow bowl. Heat frypan on medium high heat and add oil. Dredge each chicken breast in the egg and then the flour mixture and cook bottom side down. Cook for 8 minutes then turn over and cook on the top side for 8 minutes. Remove from the pan.
Step 3 - Add more oil if needed and fry onion for 3-4 minutes until caramelised and then add the cherry tomatoes. Cook until these are soft, around 8 minutes or so. Add the garlic, baby spinach, tomato paste, evaporated milk, cream and chicken powder. Then add in the nutritional yeast and return the chicken breasts to the pan for 5 minutes to cook through. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with pasta or potatoes.