Crunchy Love-it-or-Hate-it Chicken

Here’s one for all you lovers of yeast extract out there. Serve it with your favourite vegetables or, to make it a bit more grown up, in a chunk of ciabatta with rocket/arugula, guacamole (see below), sliced tomato and mayonnaise to make a sort of club sandwich.

MAKES 2 adult or 4 kid-sized portions

PREPARATION TIME 15 minutes using pre-made Savoury Crumbs or 25 minutes from scratch

COOKING TIME 5 minutes

2 skinless chicken breasts

1 egg white

2 tsp yeast extract

100g/3½oz/1 cup Savoury Crumbs (see page 30) or plain breadcrumbs

sunflower oil, for frying

TO SERVE

baked beans or vegetables of your choice

home-made Oven-baked Chips (see page 148) or shop-bought chips/fries, mashed potatoes or rice

 

1 Put the chicken breasts in between two sheets of baking paper and bash with a rolling pin to flatten slightly. Cut into 1–2cm/½–¾in strips.

2 Lightly beat the egg white and yeast extract together until just frothy. Add the chicken and leave for a couple of minutes.

3 Toss the chicken pieces, a few at a time, in the savoury crumbs. (Pieces of crumb-coated chicken can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost them thoroughly before frying.)

4 Meanwhile, pour enough oil into a frying pan to cover the surface and heat over a medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and fry for a couple of minutes on each side until golden, crunchy and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.

5 Serve with baked beans or vegetables and your favourite chips/fries, mashed potatoes or rice.

How to make

home-made guacamole

Put the flesh of 2 ripe avocados in the bowl of a small food processor or suitable container for a hand blender. Remove the seeds from 1 tomato and roughly chop the flesh, then add it to the avocados with 1 garlic clove, the juice of ½ lime and a few coriander/cilantro leaves. Whizz to a rough or smooth consistency. If you want some spice, add 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chilli or a few good splashes of tabasco sauce. For some crunch, add ½ finely chopped red onion. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving. If you are not planning to serve the guacamole straight away, put the avocado stone into the finished guacamole to help prevent it from going brown. Covered with cling film/plastic wrap, it will store in the refrigerator for a day.