Crunchy chicken with brie and tomato sauce
Crisp chicken coated in tortilla chip crumbs is served with a quick tomato sauce and deliciously decadent melted brie sauce.
Ingredients
- oil, for greasing (any variety of cooking oil)
- 2 chicken breast fillets (each about 150g/5½oz)
- 1 large free-range egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú tortilla chips
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú brie, rind removed, roughly chopped
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
- 2–3 sprigs thyme
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce
- 400g tin plum or chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp red or white wine vinegar
- small handful fresh basil leaves, half finely shredded
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7 and lightly oil a baking tray. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
Put the beaten egg in a large shallow bowl and the flour into a second bowl. Put the tortillas in a shallow bowl and rub together until they form a rough crumb. Dip the chicken in the flour until lightly coated, shaking off any excess, then dip into the egg and finally into the tortilla crumb. Repeat the process once more to give the chicken a thick coating. Repeat with the remaining chicken breast. Place them on the oiled baking tray and bake for about 18 minutes, or until cooked through. (If your chicken breasts are larger than 150g/5½oz each, you will need to increase the cooking time or butterfly the chicken – see tip.)
To make the sauce, blend the tomatoes, tomato purée, onion and garlic powders in a food processor or using a stick blender until almost smooth. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the tomato sauce and warm through without boiling, stirring occasionally. Season with salt, pepper, a little sugar and the vinegar to taste. Stir in around 1 heaped tablespoon of the shredded basil leaves.
In another pan, warm the brie and cream together with a few sprigs of thyme until the brie melts, stirring regularly. Remove the thyme and discard. The brie won’t melt completely, so if you want a smooth sauce, use a stick blender.
When the chicken is ready, pour the tomato sauce into 2 warmed pasta plates or shallow bowls. Top with the chicken and pour over the creamy brie sauce. Season with ground black pepper and garnish with the remaining basil leaves to serve.
Recipe Tips
To cook the chicken more quickly, you can butterfly it. Simply put the chicken on a board and carefully cut in half horizontally almost all the way through and open up like a book. Coat with the flour, egg and breadcrumbs as in the main recipe and bake for 12–14 minutes, or until cooked throughout.
