Chicken escalopes with black pepper and sage
Easy Chicken Dinners
This is one of my favourite ways to cook chicken breast because while bashing the chicken to a thin escalope might be an additional step, it only takes a minute and means that the chicken is much easier (and faster) to cook because it’s an even thickness. It all results in deliciously tender chicken breast that isn’t dry.
A rich, buttery sauce of black pepper and sage is an excellent accompaniment, and I know a lot of people make polenta with water, but it really is so much better with chicken stock.
Cooking time
<1hr
Serves
4
Ingredients
- 4 Lilydale free range chicken breasts
- salt and pepper, to season
- ¾ cup plain flour
- 50 ml olive oil, plus extra for frying if needed
- 70 g butter
- 10-15 sage leaves
- 1 tsp coarse and freshly ground black pepper
- Radicchio salad
- 1½ tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ head radicchio, leaves picked, washed and spun
- 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
- Parmesan polenta
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 1 cup (200 g) fine polenta
- 30 g butter
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
Method
- For the polenta bring the stock to the boil and whisk in the polenta. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly, then mix in the butter and parmesan. Season with salt to taste.
- Divide the chicken breasts in half horizontally. Place a piece of chicken between 2 sheets of baking paper and lightly bash with a rolling pin to just under once centimetre thickness. Repeat for the remaining chicken. Season very well with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add about half of the olive oil and 20 g of the butter. Fry the chicken escalopes two at a time for about 2 minutes on each side until browned and just cooked through, then set aside. Add a little extra oil and butter to the pan between each batch of chicken if needed.
- When all the chicken is cooked, add the remaining butter to the pan, then add the sage leaves and pepper and fry until the sage crisps. Remove from the heat.
- For the radicchio salad, whisk the vinegar together with the mustard and then drizzle in the olive oil, season well with salt and pepper, then toss with the radicchio leaves and chives. Serve the chicken with the polenta topped with a little extra parmesan, and the radicchio salad on the side.
