Home-Crumbed Chicken Breast with Whipped Feta & Charred Cherry Tomatoes
Golden home-crumbed chicken, creamy whipped feta and smoky charred tomatoes, cut through with a sharp gherkin and red onion oil.
Nothing complicated here, just good ingredients treated properly. Stale bread becomes the crumb, the oil from the feta jar becomes the mayo, and the gherkin jar gives you the acidity that keeps the whole plate from feeling heavy. Get the chicken an even thickness, keep the pan at medium, and everything else is assembly.
This plate is all about crunch, creaminess, sweetness, acidity and freshness. Each element does one job, and none of them fight.
- →Homemade breadcrumbs give you control. Dry your stale bread properly, then crumb it as coarse or fine as you like. Coarser gives you more crunch; finer gives you a tighter, more even coating.
- →Even chicken cooks evenly. Trimming the breast so it is an even thickness means the chicken cooks through without the breadcrumbs getting too dark.
- →Medium heat gives the crumb time to colour. You are looking for deep golden and crisp, not burnt breadcrumbs and raw chicken.
- →The feta oil gets put to work. It is already carrying flavour from the marinated feta, so it makes perfect sense to use it in the whipped feta rather than chucking it away.
- →The tomatoes get char without being cooked to death. Smoking-hot grill, tomatoes on, heat off, lid down. The grill gives you the colour and the residual heat warms them through.
- →The pickle cuts through the richness. Gherkin, red onion and pickling liquor bring the acidity that balances the crumbed chicken and creamy feta.
Common Mistakes
- ✗Leaving the chicken too thick. You will have a dark crumb before the thickest part of the chicken is cooked.
- ✗Running the pan too hot. Medium heat gives you control and lets that homemade crumb become properly golden and crisp.
- ✗Not drying the bread properly. Get the moisture out before you crumb it.
- ✗Adding the oil too quickly when making the mayo. Drizzle it in steadily while blending and let the emulsion build.
- ✗Overcooking the tomatoes. You are after charred and warmed through, not collapsed and swimming in juice.
- ✗Forgetting the final seasoning. That little bit of salt and cracked pepper over the finished crisp chicken makes a difference.
Tips & Tricks
- →Stale bread is perfect for this. Dry it out and make breadcrumbs rather than throwing it away.
- →Choose your own crumb. By hand gives you something more rustic; the blender gives you control over how fine you want it.
- →Trim the chicken rather than smashing the life out of it. You are simply looking for an even thickness so it cooks evenly.
- →Press the breadcrumbs on properly. Use your hands and make sure you have got a good coating rather than just rolling the chicken through them.
- →Use the oil from the feta jar. It is already carrying plenty of flavour, so make use of it.
- →Let the gherkin and red onion sit in the oil. It gives the flavours time to come together and softens the raw edge of the onion.
- →Keep the tomatoes on the vine if you can. They hold together nicely and look bloody good on the finished plate.
Flavour Twists
Add finely grated Parmesan and chopped fresh herbs to the breadcrumbs for a deeper savoury crumb.
Add chilli flakes to the breadcrumbs and swap some of the gherkin for pickled jalapeños.
Add finely grated lemon zest to the breadcrumbs and finish with plenty of fresh oregano.
Swap the gherkins for chopped capers for a saltier, sharper version.
Substitutions
- Chicken breast→ Chicken thighTrim to an even thickness before crumbing.
- Homemade breadcrumbs→ PankoAbsolutely fine if there is no stale bread kicking about.
- Homemade mayo→ Shop-bought mayoBlend with the marinated feta and you are sorted.
- Gherkins→ Cornichons or capersBoth bring the sharpness you are looking for.
- Oregano→ Parsley or basilDifferent flavour, same fresh finish.
If you have got leftovers, keep them covered in the fridge and use them over the next day or two. Better still, give them another job. Slice the cold crumbed chicken and chuck it into a salad wrap with the whipped feta, tomatoes and gherkin dressing, or pile the lot over some fresh leaves for a cracking lunch the next day. Leftovers do not always need reheating. Sometimes they just need a new job.
Black pepper does most of the work here. Season the chicken before crumbing, then give it another fresh crack over the finished plate. If you fancy some heat, add chilli flakes to the breadcrumbs. Just do not go daft with them. You still want the feta, pickle, oregano and charred tomatoes coming through.
Sharp greens and a cold glass of Chardonnay
Keep it simple. A crisp green or bitter-leaf salad with a sharp dressing is plenty alongside this. And if there is a cold glass of Chardonnay sitting nearby, it will not exactly ruin your afternoon.
Nothing complicated, just good ingredients treated properly.
Method
- 1
Make the breadcrumbs
Got some old bread that has gone stale? Do not chuck it. Get it into a 50–60°C oven and dry it right out. Once completely dry, crumb it by hand if you want something a bit more rustic, or chuck it in a blender and take it to whatever texture you like. Get your flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs into separate dishes ready for the chicken.
- 2
Get the chicken ready
Trim the chicken breasts to 150–180 g portions, evening out the thicker parts so they cook evenly. Season, then coat each breast flour → beaten egg → homemade breadcrumbs, pressing the crumbs on properly with your hands. Set aside while you get everything else sorted.
- 3
Make the whipped feta
Put the whole egg and apple cider vinegar into a jug and start blending with a stick blender. Slowly drizzle in the oil from the marinated Danish feta while continuously blending, allowing it to emulsify and thicken into a mayonnaise. Add the marinated Danish feta and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste before seasoning because the feta already brings plenty of salt. Cannot be arsed making the mayo? Use shop-bought mayonnaise, add the feta and blend until smooth.
- 4
Make the gherkin & red onion oil
Finely dice the gherkins and red onion, then mix with the oil and gherkin pickling liquid. Finish with cracked black pepper and leave it to sit while you get everything else sorted.
- 5
Char the tomatoes
Get the char grill or BBQ smoking hot. Lightly oil and season the tomatoes. Place them straight onto the smoking-hot grill, then turn the heat off immediately. Cover or close the BBQ lid and leave them sitting in the residual heat. You want them properly charred on the outside and warmed through while still holding their shape.
- 6
Cook the chicken
Get a frying pan to medium heat and add enough oil to cook the crumb evenly. Add the chicken and cook gently until the underside is deep golden and crisp. Turn and cook the other side the same way, keeping the heat controlled so the breadcrumbs do not burn before the chicken is cooked through. Cook until the centre reaches 75°C, then remove from the pan and let it rest briefly.
- 7
Finish and plate
Spoon the whipped feta onto the plate and give it a good swipe. Add the golden crumbed chicken and warm charred tomatoes, then spoon the gherkin and red onion oil over and around the plate. Finish the chicken with a little flaked salt and cracked black pepper, scatter over the freshly picked oregano, then give the whole plate a good drizzle of oil.
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