Flattened Chicken

This is one of the few meals my boyfriend actually makes for me (well I help but he tries lol).  His mom use to make this in her deep fryer and I have lightened it up a little by making him cook it in just a little bit Olive Oil.  I also make my own breadcrumbs (have you ever looked at the ingredients of commercial breadcrumbs?  There are a ton of unpronounceable ingredients, yuck!).  The breadcrumbs are pretty simple and absolutely delicious.   I served this with a little bit of simple gravy (I froze the leftovers from No-Fail Gravy recipe a couple weeks ago), Foil potatoes and a salad. You can not be afraid to a little messy with this recipe.   There will probably be leftovers, which are great on a sandwich or a salad. 

For the breadcrumbs I save all of the say old ends from our French Bread (we go through about a loaf and a half a day now that the bakery across the street is open).  Put them in the freezer until you are ready to make breadcrumbs.   Any extra breadcrumbs you have just put into a container and save for later. 

Flattened Chicken

Ingredients:

2-3 Chicken Breasts

2 cups Breadcrumbs (recipe below)

1 cup Flour

2 eggs

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil for Frying

Instructions:

1. Pound Chicken until about ¼ inch thick.  

2. Prepare 3 shallow bowls.  Flavor each with salt and pepper. 

            1. Flour

            2. Eggs, whisked

            3. Breadcrumbs

3. Take a piece of chicken and place in flour, flip chicken to cover completely.  Shake off any extra flour then place in egg bowl. Flip breast to cover completely, and then place in breadcrumbs, flipping to cover.  Repeat until all the chicken has been breaded. 

4.  Heat Olive Oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Take a small piece of chicken to use as your test piece.  Oil is ready when you dip the test piece of chicken into the oil and it begins sizzling immediately.   Fill frying pan with a couple pieces of chicken (do not over crowd).

5. Once chicken reaches a golden brown color flip and cook until that side is golden brown.  Remove and place on a plate lined with paper towels.  Repeat until all the chicken is cooked.  Add more oil as needed to an empty frying pan, let the oil heat up before adding chicken. 

6. Serve and Enjoy!

Bread Crumbs 

Ingredients:

French Bread

Italian Seasonings (omit if you want)

Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. In a food processor chop small pieces of bread until they are close to crumbs.  If you have a smaller food processor like I do just do it in batches.       

3.  Pour crumbs onto cookie sheets in a single layer.  Bake until golden and toasted, about 10 minutes. 

4.  Put crumbs back into food processor.  Top with Italian Seasonings, Salt and Pepper.  Pulse until combined.  Put aside until ready to use.