Chicken Breast Milanese With Green Olive Celery Relish Food

CHICKEN BREAST MILANESE WITH GREEN OLIVE-CELERY RELISH

Steps:

• Put each chicken breast between 2 sheets of heavy plastic and pound them to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Trim any ragged edges. Season each breast on both sides with salt and pepper. If desired, place breasts in a bowl and cover with buttermilk and refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to 6 hours).
• Prepare the breading: Arrange 3 shallow bowls. Add flour to one bowl, then season it with salt and pepper and a little cayenne. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Fill the third bowl with bread crumbs.
• Drain the chicken. Dip each breast lightly into the seasoned flour, then into beaten egg and finally into the crumbs. Put breaded chicken on a baking sheet and sprinkle with more crumbs on both sides. Refrigerate, uncovered, until ready to fry.
• Make the olive-celery relish: In a mixing bowl, combine olives, celery, garlic, orange zest, lemon zest, red pepper, oregano, lemon juice, parsley, mint and basil. Season with salt and pepper and stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Put a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil to a depth of 1 inch. Heat oil to 365 degrees. Test the temperature by throwing a bread crumb into the oil - it should brown gently. Add breaded chicken breasts in one layer without crowding. Do not disturb them until they become golden and crisp on one side, about 3 minutes. Carefully turn with tongs and cook on the other side for 3 minutes more. Remove and drain breasts on absorbent paper. Give them a light sprinkling of salt.
• To serve, put 1 breast on each of 4 dinner plates. Top with 2 tablespoons green olive-celery relish and garnish with watercress and lemon wedges.

PAN SEARED CHICKEN WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• For the chicken: Using a meat mallet, evenly pound the chicken breast halves between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to 1/4-inch thickness. Put the chicken into a heavy resealable bag or 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the oil, parsley, shallots and garlic; sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and mix in the bag or toss in the baking dish until the chicken is coated in the marinade. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Using tongs, remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing the oil to drain. (It's ok if some of the garlic and shallots still cling to the chicken.) Discard the marinade.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large (12- to 14-inch) skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the chicken breasts, 2 at a time, being sure to space them out in the skillet. (Avoid over-crowding, or you won't get a good sear.) Sear until light golden on the first side, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and sear on the other side until the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Cook the remaining 2 chicken breasts, adding another tablespoon of oil if needed. Reserve the skillet for the sauce.
• For the pan sauce: In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil if using and the garlic; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Set aside.
• Pour out all but 2 tablespoons oil from the skillet. If the skillet is dry and more oil is needed, add about 2 tablespoons. Over medium heat, add the olives and shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook, scraping up any browned bits in the skillet. Whisk in the chicken broth and any pan juices the chicken released on the platter and bring to a simmer. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir in the mustard, add the seasoned tomatoes and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper if needed.
• Spoon the sauce over the chicken on the platter, garnish with chopped herbs if using and serve immediately with the Winter Greens Salad on the side if desired.
• Put the arugula, frisee and radicchio into a salad bowl and toss to combine. Drizzle the vinegar over the greens and toss until coated; drizzle the oil over the top and toss again. Add the cheese, season with salt and pepper and toss until well combined. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN MILANESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Beat eggs with salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Spread flour in another dish and bread crumbs in a third dish.
• Working with one piece at a time, gently press chicken into the flour to coat and shake off the excess flour. Dip into the beaten egg, then press into bread crumbs. Gently toss between your hands so any bread crumbs that haven't stuck can fall away. Place the breaded chicken onto a plate while breading the rest; do not stack.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry chicken in batches of 2 or 3 pieces until golden brown and no longer pink in the center, about 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer cooked chicken to a baking sheet and keep warm in preheated oven while cooking remaining chicken.
• Serve with lemon wedges.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH ORANGE-FENNEL SEED-OLIVE RELISH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees and set the rack in the center.
• Place fennel seeds in a small frying pan and toast over medium heat until fragrant. Place seeds in a small bowl and combine with olives, juice, zest, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside to marinate, at least 15 minutes.
• Heat a large ovenproof 12-inch frying pan over medium heat. Rub chicken with remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the pan, skin side down, and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip chicken over with tongs and put it in the oven to finish cooking. (If you're not using an ovenproof frying pan, transfer the chicken to a baking dish first). Roast chicken for about 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature registers 160 to 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.
• Take the chicken out and let it rest for 5 minutes so that the juices settle. Transfer to a serving plate and top with reserved olive mixture. Serve.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH MELON RELISH

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the salt, ginger, nutmeg and pepper. Rub over both sides of chicken. In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil over medium heat 6-8 minutes on each side, until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 165°. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the relish ingredients. Serve with chicken.

CHICKEN WITH GREEN OLIVES

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy, large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Pat chicken dry.
• Add to skillet and brown well on all sides.
• Add onion, garlic, bay leaves and season to taste.
• Cook 2 minutes.
• Pour in wine and cook until evaporated.
• Blend in tomato paste and paprika.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Add broth; cover and cook 15 minutes.
• Add olives and cook until chicken is tender, about 10 minutes.
• Garnish with parsley.
• Great served with egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

CHICKEN MILANESE (OLIVE GARDEN COPYCAT)

Steps:

• FLATTEN chicken breasts betwen 2 sheets of plastic wrap by pounding gently until chicken is approximately 1/2-inch thick.
• WHISK eggs and milk together in a flat-bottom bowl.
• MIX breadcrumbs, cheese, fresh parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic and pepper. Transfer to a flat plate.
• DREDGE chicken in flour, coating both sides. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture, coating both sides. Dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating completely on both sides. Set aside.
• MELT butter in sauce pan over medium heat.
• ADD minced garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add flour and stir until well-blended.
• ADD white wine, chicken broth, heavy cream and cheese. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture starts to thicken.
• ADD roasted garlic, pepper and salt. Stir until well blended.
• ADD tomatoes and spinach to sauce and allow to simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, stiring frequently.
• HEAT olive oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Add breaded chicken to pan and cook until both sides are golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165°F.
• ADD cooked, drained tortellini pasta to sauce and blend well.
• TRANSFER chicken to a large platter and serve with hot, creamy tortellini.
• GARNISH with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.

CHICKEN AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Season skin-side of chicken with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Turn breasts over and season skinless side with salt, black pepper, cayenne, and herbes de Provence. Turn again so that the skin-side is facing up; rest for 10 minutes.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Place chicken skin-side down in hot oil. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook chicken until skin is well-browned, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken and cook until just browned, about 2 minutes; transfer to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir shallots in the hot skillet until just softening and golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir olives into shallots and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Pour the chicken broth into the skillet; bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the reserved olive brine, lemon zest, and cumin; increase heat to high and cook until sauce is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low and return chicken, skin-side up, to the skillet. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 5 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove chicken to a plate and cover with aluminum foil.
• Stir parsley and butter into sauce, stirring continuously until butter is melted and sauce is shiny. Spoon sauce over chicken.