Crispy Coasted Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Melted Mozzarella
I love this recipe, because for me it conjures up so many of the flavours that I loved when I used to make chicken Chicken Parmesan, minus the bladder unfriendly ingredients like tomato sauce and onions. You still get crispy, tender chicken pieces with oozing, golden brown cheese, plus the added benefit of a less likely chance you'll end up with a bladder flare.
This recipe is divine along side a salad of baby spinach leaves, pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of good quality pumpkin seed, truffle or olive oil. It also pairs nicely with small or skinny shaped pasta noodles and steamed veggies like carrots and pea pods.
Crispy Coasted Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Melted Mozzarella
4 large chicken breasts (about 100-150 grams each, alternatively you could use the same weight in turkey breast pieces)
¼ cup all purpose flour (preferably organic and/or unbleached)
3 tbsp butter (divided into 1 and ½ tbsp amounts)
1 cup button mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
½ cup chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and chopped (or any other type of mushroom that you'd like to use)
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
1 medium sized ball of fresh mozzarella (about 200 grams)
Freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt, to taste (both optional)
Lay your chicken breasts – covered with a piece of plastic wrap draped over top - onto a cutting board or chopping block and pound until well flatten with the smooth side of a meat mallet.
On a large dinner plate or in a shallow dish combine the flour, salt and pepper. Place each flattened chicken breast into the flour, coating each side evenly.
Over medium-high heat in a large frying pan or skillet, heat the butter until melted and then add in the coated chicken pieces. Fry until each side is a lovely shade of golden brown and the chicken is cooked entirely through (usually about 5-6 minutes per side).
Once cooked transfer the chicken to a shallow baking dish and set aside. Next, heat your broiler (also know to European cooks as your “grill”) to medium-high.
Add the remaining butter to the same skillet that you used for the chicken breasts and melt it over medium heat. Place the garlic into the pan and stir it until it takes on a slightly golden colour, then add in the mushrooms and bay leaves.
Cook the mushrooms until they are nicely golden and fork tender, I find that this takes about 4 to 7 minutes at this heat. Once cooked, remove the bay leaves and place half of the cooked mushrooms over the chicken breasts.
Drain away the liquid that comes with it and slice the ball of mozzarella cheese into 4 roughly even sized pieces, place one slice on each of the 4 chicken breasts in the baking dish.
Slide your dish under the broiler and heat until the cheese takes on a golden hue (I usually find this only requires a minute of two under the broiler).
Remove from the oven, turn off the broiler and plate the chicken breasts with the remaining mushrooms encircling them. Leftovers will keep for about 3 days, well covered in the fridge, and can be reheated in a warm oven for a few minutes so that they will become crispy again.
Serves 4 people