Escalope of Chicken with a Sourdough Breadcrumb and Herb Crust

Yeah, ok - it's a fancy title for a pan-fried chicken and mash dish... Packed with flavour, though, it certainly punches its weight.

Why the sourdough breadcrumbs? Because I was baking some sourdough and left it too long in the oven. I cut off the black exterior and managed to rescue the inside so I decided to whizz it up into breadcrumbs. Use ordinary breadcrumbs, though, why don't you? Slightly stale bread works well. You'd throw it out anyway so why not convert into breadcrumbs?

It's the herbs and the subtle undercurrent of garlic that make the dish. I reckon fresh herbs will work best and I used a combination of basil, coriander, rosemary and chives. There are certainly other combinations which could work as well - just experiment!

Cost per person: 3.25 zl (65 UK pence, 77 Euro cents)

What you'll need for the breadcrumbs:

- some bread past its peak (but not mouldy!), sourdough in my case
- a couple of handfuls of chopped up herbs

1. Whizz up the bread in a blender till quite fine

2. Grab some herbs

3. Chop them up

4. Add to the breadcrumbs

What you'll need for the mash:

- 600g of peeled potatoes
- water
- salt
- a dollop of butter and cream

1. Peel the spuds (that's what we Northerners call potatoes, you young budding English students out there!) and cut in half. Add to a pan of water. The water should just cover the potatoes. Add a tsp of salt. Always put potatoes in water after peeling - they'll discolour otherwise.

Now that it's all prepped, let's get cracking!

What you'll need for the chicken:

- 500g chicken breast
- the breadcrumb mix
- 2 eggs
- a little flour
- a clove of garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil

1. Trim the chicken breasts. Put inside a plastic bag. Flatten with a kitchen mallet. 

2. Remove from the bag and cut up into medium sized pieces

3. Flour on all sides

4. Dip in the egg

5. Coat in the breadcrumb mix

6. Get the potatoes on. Bring to the boil covered then turn the heat down to a rolling boil. They should be soft after around 15-20 minutes. 

7. Bash a clove of garlic under the blade of your chef's knife.

8. Olive oil in a hot frying pan. Chicken in

9. Add the garlic to a free space in the pan. The idea is to infuse a subtle garlicky nuance to the dish. Remove the garlic as soon as it starts to brown - we don't want the bitterness of burnt garlic to spoil the flavour.

10. After 5 minutes, turn over the chicken and fry the other side. After 5 minutes, turn over again to the original side and season well with salt.

11. Season with a good dose of black pepper

12. Remove the chicken onto some kitchen roll to absorb the excess oil. 

13. Check the potatoes are done - if a fork passes through easily then they're there! Drain the water. Add a dollop of butter and cream.

14. Mash very well. 

15. Serve with a salad and enjoy!

What did this cost?

- the breadcrumbs: the leftover bread was free. The herbs, a negligible: 0.20 zl
- the potatoes: 0.90 zl
- the chicken: 7.50 zl
- the eggs: 1.40 zl
- the salad: 2.50 z
- the rest: 0.50

Total cost: 13 zl
Serves: 4
Cost per person: 3.25 zl