Recipe: Chicken Schnitzel With Pesto -Dressed Rocket Salad

15 minutes prep time, 25 minutes cooking time

Chicken schnitzel is one of our favourite dishes, but this version is a bit healthier since it skips the deep frying. Instead, its lightly cooked in butter and finished off in the oven.

Served with a fresh rocket, tomato, and avocado salad dressed with pesto, it’s the perfect Friday night dinner! If you prefer to skip the breadcrumbs, this also works well with grilled chicken! For ultimate indulgence, pair it with a spicy vodka pasta.

Ingredients - Serves 4

• 600g Chicken Breast (4 Chicken Breasts)

• 2 Eggs

• 150g Breadcrumbs (4 Slices of Bread)

• 50g Plain Flour

• 1/2 Lemon

• 1 Pack Rocket

• 1 1/2 Avocado

• 1/2 Punnet Cherry Tomatoes on the Vine

• Balsamic Glaze

• Butter for cooking

For the Pesto

• 50g Basil

• 2 Garlic Cloves

• 30g Parmesan

• 50g Pine Nuts

• 80ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 130°C (fan).

2. Make your breadcrumbs by blending 4 slices of bread in a food processor. Spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 20 minutes.

3. While your breadcrumbs cook start on your pesto. Toast your pine nuts over a medium heat until light coloured.

4. Crush your garlic and add all ingredients into your mortar. Combine until well mixed and almost a paste. You can also use a food processor for this but we find the flavours really come out when using a mortar and pestle.

5. Take your breadcrumbs out of the oven and increase the temperature to 200°C (fan).

6. Prepare the chicken by placing a breast between sheets of greaseproof paper. Gently pound with a rolling pink or meat tenderiser to flatten slightly.

7. Set up your coating station with flour, breadcrumbs, and lightly whisked eggs on separate plates.

8. Coat the chicken by dipping each breast in flour, then egg and finally breadcrumbs. Repeat until all chicken breasts are coated.

9. Heat a knob of butter and a drizzle of olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Fry each chicken breast for 2 minutes on each side, working in batches if needed.

10. Place the chicken on a wire rack set over a baking tray and cook for 25 minutes.

11. Whilst the chicken cooks, toss rocket, sliced avocado, and chopped tomatoes with the pesto.

12. Once your chicken is done, remove it from the oven, squeeze over the juice of half a lemon, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, top with the salad and enjoy!