Here is an elegant, yet hearty meal without too much effort and done in under an hour – perfect for the busy cook who demands wholesome, delicious meals that look and taste a million bucks. Just remember, as always, the caution using chicken breast fillets is ‘Do not overcook them’. They will be dry, hard and stringy. Other than that, enjoy!
Italian-Style Chicken Steaks Recipe
Course: Chicken & PoultryCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Moderate4
servings30
minutes30
minutesHere is an elegant, yet hearty meal without too much effort and done in under an hour – perfect for the busy cook who demands wholesome, delicious meals that look and taste a million bucks. Just remember, as always, the caution using chicken breast fillets is ‘Do not overcook them’. They will be dry, hard and stringy. Other than that, enjoy!
Ingredients
4 chicken fillets, kept whole
10 ml garlic paste
90 ml low-fat buttermilk
200 g Rosa tomatoes, halved lengthwise
salt, freshly-milled black pepper and a sprinkling of sugar
olive oil
1 very large onion, finely sliced into rings
30 ml butter
15 ml dried Italian herbs
125 ml Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
small handful of chopped fresh herbs like parsley and basil
Directions
- Put the chicken fillets in a glass dish. Mix the garlic into the buttermilk and add to the chicken. Toss the chicken to coat it evenly with the mixture, cover and set aside until required.
- Place the Rosa tomato halves in a small baking dish with the cut side facing uppermost and season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar. Place in the oven, preheated to 190°C for 25 to 30 minutes, or until sticky and roasted to your liking.
- Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a large frying pan and add the onion. Sauté until translucent then allow to brown lightly. Turn heat down and cook for about 20 minutes or until the onions have caramelised nicely. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a clean, oven-friendly pan, heat 15 ml of the oil and the butter. Lift the chicken fillets and strip some of the marinade off with your hands or pull the fillets against the rim of the dish to let some of the marinade drip off. Now, quickly flash-fry the fillets on both sides, taking care not to cook them: you just want the surface lightly browned as this adds flavour.
- Remove the pan from the heat, season the fillets to taste then top with the onions and baked tomatoes. Mix together the dried herbs and Parmesan cheese and sprinkle the mixture over the top of each fillet. Place the pan in oven and bake at 190°C for 10 minutes, no longer.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Scatter the fresh herbs over top and serve with buttered bow-shaped noodles and a green salad.
Chef’s hint
- A few slices of mozzarella cheese (before you sprinkle the Parmesan over) will do wonders for the drool factor of this dish. However, it will also increase the fat content … so you decide!
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