Chicken Milanese, Southern Style

Directions

To make the cutlets, first remove the chicken tenderloin (the part closest to the bone and shaped like a long finger) from each breast; freeze for later use. Cut each breast in half and lightly pound it between two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap to a thickness of ½ inch. Sprinkle each breast half with salt and pepper.

To bread your chicken, place the beaten eggs and the breadcrumbs in separate deep dishes or pie tins. Dip each breast half in the egg, holding it over the dish to allow the excess egg to drip back into the dish. Then place each in the breadcrumbs, pressing it firmly down into the crumbs. Gently turn the chicken over, and press the other side into the crumbs. Remove the chicken from the breadcrumbs, tapping lightly to remove any loose crumbs, and place on a sheet pan. Once breaded, your breast halves are called cutlets, or cotelette in Italian.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

Heat half of the olive oil in a large (at least 12-inch) sauté pan on medium-high heat, and fry half of the cutlets in the oil, gently turning until golden brown on both sides, approximately 3 minutes per side. You need to cook the cutlets in two batches to avoid burning the chicken; add the remaining olive oil to the pan before cooking the second batch.

Remove the cutlets from the oil, place on a sheet pan, and cover with foil. Hold them in the warm oven until you have finished making the Sausage Gravy (please see Biscuits & Gravy recipe). Dispose of the cooking oil.

Serve the Chicken Milanese topped with Sausage Gravy and accompanied by a side of sautéed Broccolini.

To make the Broccolini:

Blanche the Broccolini and dry it. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the Broccolini, salt and red pepper flakes. Sauté slowly over medium-low heat until the exterior of the Broccolini is crisp.

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups Italian-style breadcrumbs

¾ cup olive oil, divided into two equal portions

For the Broccolini

2 bunches of Broccolini, trimmed

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt to taste

Pinch of red pepper flake