Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Parmesan chicken with swiss chard (...and an award)



I'm always on the search for speedy things to do with chicken. I know that legs and thighs and every other bit of the chicken has more flavour, but sometimes, I do just fancy a simple bit of of chicken breast. In the same way that whilst I adore the melting richness of foie gras (no apologies made), sometimes, I prefer the idea of a simple rustic paté. Sometimes a lean and healthy chicken breast is exactly what I hanker after.

Of course, this particular chicken breast started out as a lean and healthy bit of chicken, but then I coated the thing in lovely, less healthy Parmesan. But I served it with salad leaves fresh from the garden, so I can pretend that that makes up for it. Let's not mention the dressing.


Before I tell you more about this rather tasty supper, I'd like to share my great delight in being given an award by the lovely Rosie from
Rosie bakes a 'peace' of cake. For those who haven't yet discovered, Rosie produces a constant stream of gorgeously tempting cakes and bakes; her passion for baking is a great source of inspiration. I really am thrilled that she chose me for the 'Arte e Pico' award which is awarded for creativity, design, interesting material and contribution to the food blogging community. Thank you Rosie, I really am touched.

Of course, I must pass the award on. The rules are as follows...

1. You pick five blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.
2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and the link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.
4. Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of
Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

The five blogs I have chosen are as follows:

Indigo from
Happy Love Strawberry
Jules from
Domestic Goddess in Training
Joy from
Almanzo's Belly
Peter from
Kalfogas
Amanda and Tyler from
What we're Eating









Back onto the chicken. I've been growing lovely Swiss chard in my garden. I love the way the red stalk contrasts with the deep glossy green of the leaves themselves. Oh - and they taste pretty good too. You can treat them like spinach; either eat them raw or wilt down and enjoy cooked. I ruthlessly stole the idea for this dish from my much loved
BBC Good Food website. The original recipe is here. The succulent chicken had a lovely crispy cheesy coating and sat on a salad of baby Jersey Royals, peas, spring onions and avocado. I think that dressing the salad whilst the peas and potatoes are still warm really makes a difference.

Parmesan chicken with Swiss chard and Jersey Royals
Serves 2



Ingredients

2 skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
1 egg white
2 small handfuls of baby potatoes, Jersey Royals if you can find them
1 tumblerful of frozen peas
1 ripe avocado, cubed
4 spring onions, finely sliced
2 handfuls of Swiss chard or other fresh, peppery leaves
1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Heat the grill to medium and get the grill pan ready. Chop the potatoes into cubes.

2. Whisk the egg white with a little salt and pepper. Coat each chicken breast in egg white and then in the grated Parmesan so that each breast is covered all over. Grill for 15 minutes, turning once, by which point the Parmesan should be nicely crisp and brown and the chicken piping hot in the middle.

3. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for 10 minutes, until tender. Add the peas for the final 3 minutes and then drain. Place in salad bowl with leaves, onions and avocado.

4. Whisk together the oil and vinegar and pour over the salad. Toss together lightly so everything is coated and nicely mixed together. Place on plates and top with chicken.


13 comments:

Peter M said...

Antonia, first off, nice sear on the chicken, it can be hard to do when skinless.

Second, thank you for the kind mention and link, you're very kind.

Finally, I've sworn to not get into the vicious tag circle but I will have a look at the other blogs you've cited, which are new to me.

Anna said...

Wow, thankyou so much for the award! That's made my day, heh. Congratulations on yours!

Also that chicken looks gorgeous; I think even my sister might eat that (you've not known a fussy eater...). Bookmarked!

Jan said...

Hi Antonia. Thanks for finding me! Food is, I have to say looking awesome. I don't really cook with chard, but it seems to be quite popular - I think I'm going to give your recipe a go. I'll let you know how I get on.

Maggie said...

Looks an absolutely delicious dish. When the sun decides to shine again, I should try this one, it will be perfect for eating outside.
Have to admit that I have never eaten swiss chard though.

Pixie said...

So, how much dressing did you put on that chicken? ;) Looks great and congrats on your award.

Renee said...

love love LOVE swiss chard! Your dinner looks good :)

Maria♥ said...

Antonia this chicken dish looks delish, perfect summer food!

Maria
x

Abitofafoodie said...

Peter - No problem at all - I understand that some people like to pass these things on and some don't!

Indigo - you are most welcome. The chicken was good - reckon most people would like it!

Phantom Chef - I hadn't cooked much with chard either, but it came along with my other salads for planting so thought I'd grow it and give it a try. I'm pleased that I did!

Margaret - the sun seems to have vanished. This is a perfect dish for enjoying outside in the Summer. Hope you give it a try.

Pixie - ...not too much... I promise!! But then maybe I went back for a touch more... Don't tell anyone.

Nan - thanks. I'm a swiss chard convert - love it!

Anonymous said...

That looks and sounds really delicious Antonia, it's always good to have something new to do with chicken :)

Rosie said...

Hi Antonia, firstly congrats once again on your award it is most deserving indeed, and many thanks for your very kind words too on my baking!!

Secondly, your chicken dish looks stunning perfect for summer dining :)

Rosie x

aforkfulofspaghetti said...

Soudns good to me - simple, tasty, and reasonably healthy, too.

Abitofafoodie said...

Ginger - I know - you can never have too many chicken recipes! This is definitely one I will repeat!

Rosie - thank you again for this lovely award.

Aforkfulofspag.- the simple ones are often the best, aren't they?

Jules said...

Thank you very much for the award :) this dish looks like a delicious summer dish.