Chicken Cutlet with Cherry Tomato Panzanella
Panzanella is an Italian salad, here made with pickled onions, braised cherry tomatoes, fried chunks of bread and fresh Italian parsley.
Equipment
- meat mallet see note
Ingredients
- ¼ small onion - thinly slice lengthwise
- 3 tablespoon white vinegar - divided
- kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 6 tablespoon olive oil - divided
- 1 cup country style bread - torn into pieces (from about a ¼ loaf
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs - OR 2 bone in chicken breasts
- 1 lb. cherry tomatoes
- 1 pinch sugar - I use ½ teaspoon of agave
- ¾ flat Italian parsley - with tender stems
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the onion with 2 tablespoon vinegar, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add bread, season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until golden brown, 4-6 minutes. WATCH CAREFULLY. Transfer to a medium bowl. Wipe out skillet.
- Between two pieces of plastic wrap, using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound each chicken thigh until about ¼" thick; season with salt and pepper. If using bone-in chicken breasts, with a thin, sharp knife, cut bones and cartilage from out. Leaving the skin on either the thighs or breasts gives a satisfying layer of fatty crunch.
- Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in skillet over medium-high. Cook 2 chicken thighs or breast, at a time (if using chicken with skin, skin side down), until golden brown and nearly cooked through, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until cooked through, about 1 minute more; second side will not brown. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with remaining cutlet and 1 Tbsp. olive oil (no need to wipe out skillet).
- Cut half of tomatoes in half. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in same skillet over medium-high. Add whole tomatoes, season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until lightly blistered and starting to burst, about 5 minutes. Toss in sugar (or agave) and remaining 1 Tbsp. vinegar. Transfer to bowl with croutons. Add pickled onion with pickling liquid, halved tomatoes, parsley, and remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil and toss. Serve chicken with panzanella spooned over.
Notes
