Crispy Bruschetta Chicken
It’s a little too close for comfort around here lately. My kids got in a legitimate fight at 8:30am over which one of them was going to eat the last chicken cutlet in the fridge. Usually, I have the stamina to let them work it out but today, I didn’t have it in me. In my warped reality, shopping for more chicken and re-frying an entire new batch was easier than moderating Cutlet-Gate.
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I remembered this Crispy Bruschetta Chicken recipe I used to teach in my cooking classes and made my kids cook it with me. If you like it enough to fight over it, at least learn how to make it yourself so I can stay out of it.
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But at the end of the day, I get it. Eating crispy breaded and fried chicken makes me happy too. And these days, we need these seemingly small joy-triggers in our lives more than ever before. At a time when I feel hopeless trying to solve life’s big problems, I cling to whatever opportunity I have to smooth out the small ones. If restocking our fried chicken stash is what it takes: I’M ALL IN.
Crispy Bruschetta Chicken
Ingredients:
- 3 chicken boneless & skinless breasts pounded to 3/4" or butterflied lengthwise in half
- ⅓ cup flour
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 2 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- neutral cooking oil as needed, like grapeseed or vegetable
- 5 ripe roma or plum tomatoes, diced
- ¼ cup minced basil leaves (about 8 leaves)
- 1 small sprig oregano, minced
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced (or 1 large)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- balsamic glaze
- shaved Parmesan
Instructions:
- Place flour, whisked eggs & panko in three different dredging bowls. Season the panko with garlic powder & kosher salt.
- Lightly season the chicken with kosher salt. Dredge each chicken piece first in the flour, then in the egg and finally coat well in the panko.
- Repeat for all pieces of chicken and reserve on a sheet tray and refrigerate for one hour. This sets the breading and prevents it from falling off once it's cooked.
- Place a 12" saute pan on the stove and add enough neutral cooking oil to go up about 1/4" in the pan. Turn heat to medium and once oil is preheated, fry chicken two pieces at a time. Flip once each side is golden brown and chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a large plate or a clean sheet tray. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
- Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and stir together until combined.
- When chicken is done, top with Bruschetta, drizzle with balsamic glaze & sprinkle a little shaved Parmesan before serving.