CHICKEN PARMIGIANA

Serves 4

         FOR THE CHICKEN

         800g chicken breast fillets

         ½ cup plain flour

         2 eggs, lightly whisked

         2 cups fresh breadcrumbs

         FOR THE SAUCE

         3 teaspoons olive oil

         1 onion, finely diced

         2 cloves garlic, crushed

         400g can diced tomatoes (or the equivalent in fresh, ripe, red tomatoes)

         3 teaspoons tomato paste

         3 teaspoons sweet chilli sauce

         250ml chicken stock or water with ½ teaspoon stock powder

         3 teaspoons cornflour mixed to a paste with ¼ cup cold water

         ½ cup oil for frying (such as canola or rice bran oil)

         90g grated tasty cheese

Pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet until approximately 6mm thick and then cut into 4 portions in total.

Place the flour in a shallow bowl, the egg in another and the breadcrumbs in another. Dip the chicken first in the flour, then the egg, then breadcrumbs until thoroughly coated on both sides. Refrigerate while preparing the sauce.

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onion until transparent. Then add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, chilli sauce and stock and cook for 10 minutes. Thicken as required with some or all of the cornflour paste. Keep warm.

Preheat the oven grill. To cook the chicken, heat the oil over medium–high heat and shallow-fry the chicken for 3 minutes on one side, then turn and cook until golden on the other, about 3 minutes more. Place in a baking dish and spread with the sauce. Sprinkle the cheese over. Heat under the grill until the cheese is bubbling.

Serve with fresh seasonal vegetables or salad.