To start, remove two chicken breast fillets (weighing 200-300 grams) from the fridge so they aren’t too chilled when you begin frying.
Retrieve a shallow dish that can ideally accommodate both escalopes, and add 70 grams of mustard along with one clove of finely grated or minced garlic.
Include half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a free-range egg and whisk together.
Place the escalopes inside, turn them over, and allow them to rest in the mixture whilst you prepare the ‘crumbs’.
Place 75 grams of cornflakes in a bowl and crush by hand.
Cornflakes aren’t merely for breakfast, as Nigella Lawson demonstrates in her recipe for crunchy chicken cutlets. The TV chef utilises the beloved cereal brand to coat her chicken, replacing breadcrumbs for a crispy exterior.
In the recipe, available on the BBC Food website, Nigella explains: “I could have called these Cornflake-Crunchy Chicken Cutlets as the crisp coating is provided not by breadcrumbs, but by cornflakes.” The dish, serving two people, requires less than half an hour to prepare. By eliminating breadcrumbs, it makes an excellent gluten-free alternative, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Break them up using your fingers to achieve coarsely crushed flakes, avoiding powder.
Add one and a half teaspoons of pimentón picante or paprika and mix using a fork. One by one, coat the egg-and-mustard-soaked escalopes in the cornflake crumbs until they are well covered, then place them on a wire rack to dry for five to 10 minutes.
Heat two tablespoons of sunflower oil in a cast-iron or heavy-based frying pan that can accommodate the chicken pieces.
Once the oil is hot, fry the chicken for three minutes on one side, then carefully flip them over and cook for another three minutes, ensuring the chicken is cooked through in the middle. Transfer the cooked chicken to plates already laden with tomatoes and your choice of rocket or salad leaves.
Finish off with a squeeze of lemon and enjoy. To cater for more than two people, simply adjust the quantities of the ingredients accordingly.
Nigella noted: “This recipe is particularly handy if you want a gluten-free crunch, though do check the mustard jar and cornflake packet to be sure.
“In theory, cornflakes should by their very nature be gluten-free but, because of cross-contamination issues in factories, that isn’t always the case. If this isn’t an issue, then use any cornflakes you like.”