Prep Time 30 minutes - Total Time 45 minutes - Serves 4
This is one of Isabella’s favourite dinners if not her favourite. And what’s not to love, crispy juicy chicken with peanut coconut sauce and a tangy pickle piled high next to a mountain of rice.
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless.
100 g of panko breadcrumbs.
2 eggs, whisked.
70 g of flour, seasoned with salt and pepper.
Marinade Ingredients
3 tbsps of light soy sauce.
2 tbsps of toasted sesame oil.
1 lime, juice.
1 tbsp of golden caster sugar.
Peanut Sauce Ingredients
340 g of smooth peanut butter.
1 tbsp of garlic ginger paste.
2 tbsps of light soy sauce.
1 tbsp of toasted sesame oil.
Chilli flakes, to taste.
2 limes, juice only,
400 ml of coconut milk.
Pickle Ingredients
½ of a small red onion, finely sliced.
1 small carrot, peeled into ribbons.
¼ of a cucumber, peeled into ribbons (only peel as far down as the pips).
150 ml of white wine vinegar.
1 tbsp of caster sugar.
Method
In a large bowl or Tupperware take all the marinade ingredients, season with salt and pepper and mix. Slice the chicken breast lengthways through the middle. Place in between 2 sheets of baking paper and using a rolling pin give them a little bash to flatten out. Add the chicken to the marinade and give it a good mix. Cover and allow to marinate for a couple of hours or even better overnight.
I like to make the pickle just before I’m going to start cooking the chicken. Mix the vinegar and sugar then at this point give it a taste; I like mine quite tangy so now is the time to adjust it to your taste by adding more sugar or vinegar. Once you are happy add the veg, cover with a lid and leave.
When you are ready to cook the chicken get 3 dishes and put the flour in one, the eggs in another and the panko in the last one. Take the chicken and coat in the flour shaking off the excess flour, then the egg and finally in the panko. In a large frying pan add enough oil to cover the base. Heat over a medium to high heat. To check if the oil is hot enough just take a few panko crumbs and place them in the oil. If it starts to sizzle and turns a light golden colour within a minute the oil is ready. Fry the chicken in batches for around 5-6 minutes till beautifully golden and crispy. If you want to check if it’s ready just carefully remove a piece of chicken from the pan, cut it in half and check it’s cooked. When the chicken is ready drain on some kitchen paper.
For the sauce simply mix all the ingredients and warm very gently over a low heat for a few of minutes.
I like to serve it next to a mountain of rice and steamed pak choi.