It occurred to me only recently when I was biting through a fast-food chicken burger with the juices flowing down my right cheek and my fingers saturated with chilli sauce – one such sample at a Greek take away shop and another at a corporate chain – that the taste difference between the two was much greater than I originally thought. It’s no surprise to me any more that chicken burger chains offer you french fries and a side drink to wash down that awful flavour of tough, overcooked fillet which is swimming in its own moist and succulent saline and uncooked juices.
It’s no secret that although charity begins at home, and even the most humble of take away outlets has the potential for mass commercialisation, every shortcut you make will only degrade your end product in a number of subtle ways, until it becomes obvious to the consumer that they are no longer eating quality and wholesome stock. It also occurred to me that no other fowl has received such commercialisation and over-consumption in first-world nations; it is commonplace to tenderise and preserve chicken fillets by loading the product with nitrates and saline solutions to keep you coming back for me. Not only is this not good for your own health, it also hints at the terrible practice in raising the chicken in the first place – perhaps these measures are a way of combatting the factory-battery method of mass production for a hungry audience.
Coming upon such fatal conclusions, I decided that it was time to compile a recipe that documents just how simple, effective and delicious a home-made adaptation of your local take-away burger can be. Many of my friends have told me they are turned-off chicken because it is dry and tasteless, stringy and boring. To that insult and in the honour of our minor discussion above, I decided to do a little research and practice. Having lived in the working-class western suburbs of Sydney for most of my life, I was lucky to have been exposed to real, old-fashioned take-away shops before they were swallowed up by big companies. And by real, I am referring to recipes of chicken that are prepared from family recipes brought in suitcases and crevices of the minds of immigrants from Europe, who passed such secrets to their next of kin, who carried this oath and settled into the inner-western suburbs following World War I. You see, preparing prime chicken is a passion in itself. Fast-food adaptations are a pure insult to this tradition.
My memory brings me to visualise those shops run by elderly Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Sicilian men. Each of these small outlets had a queue reaching some length beyond the corner because of the finesse in preparation and the dedication to waking up at the beginning of dawn to freshly prepare and marinate the fillets for the day to come.
I recall the Greek-style of chicken burgers as they were full of flavourful herbs of mountain oregano and rosemary, grilled onions, green tomato and a special spicy bun. The Italian-style inspired with juicy fillets that were licked by flames and cooked in olive oil infused with garlic and peppercorns, the Portuguese and Spanish with their competing fiery temperaments for a burger so spicy, you could see through time. And most potent of all, the Sicilian chicken burger loaded with slightly unripened black olives and tomato tapenade.
Using the best and most tender chicken breasts on offer at my local butcher, this delicious and easily prepared dish can be marinated up to a day in advance and works equally well barbecued or grilled. It is a personal speciality to slice each breast as thinly as possible and rub into the skin with small pieces of garlic, pepper, salt and occassionally and bay leaves. Here the name has been changed from ‘panfried’ to pan-fired to reflect a lower quantity of oil in the cooking process, and to imply the juices of the pan to infuse rather than evaporate. This recipe plays upon the saline and the sanguine in a bitter-sweet and spicy element, complementing the tartness of the partially ripe tomato and smooth vinegar. While poultry is not the preferred ingredient by some, this particular dish works to accentuate its similarity and versatility to fish and beef to which a similar flavour can be elicited by minor tweaking. It works well served a bed of wild or brown rice seasoned with cardamom and would suit a sweet, crisp white wine. Of course, no chicken is best served unless it is barbequed, rather than fried!
INGREDIENTS
700g chicken breast fillet, finely sliced
70mL pure olive oil
6 cloves garlic, diced
splash vinegar (preferably grape or Balsamic)
3 large partially ripened Roma tomatoes, finely diced
bunch parsley, chopped
several large basil leaves, ripped
oregano, black pepper and salt
cumin, paprika sprinkled
(Optional) lemon juice and mint yoghurt for garnish
1. Preheat frying pan on high heat. Ready a pair of tongs and a plate with absorbent paper.
2. Remove all excess fat from chicken breast. Slice each breast lengthwise and seperate into thinner fillets. Lightly score each fillet in several locations.
3. Prepare a shallow bowl with the olive oil and season with herbs, spices and salt. Add chopped garlic and stir.
4. Rinse and dice tomatoes. Place a portion into the mixture and stir, keeping the remainer for garnish later.
5. Thoroughly douse each individual fillet in mixture, pressing firmly as you go and flipping sides.
6. Pour oil from mixture into the frying pan and distribute evenly. Add the fillet pieces enough to cover the base of the pan at one time and turn each fillet whilst cooking only once.
Ciao Nicola,
I’m very happy to hear that we still have some dedicated readers out there; we’re trying our best to make our content as exciting and useful as possible!
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Ciao Jasmin and Matt, I still following this blog and I have to say that is going better and better. I can almost feel the sensations and the flavours reading and looking at your posts. Keep on that, it is wonderful.