Chicken Schnitzel : Parmesan Tarragon

Growing up on Swiss-German cuisine it's fair to say I've eaten a fair few schnitzels in my time. That said, adding parmesan to the crumb was not something we did in our household, but I'm glad I've now tried it. I can see it becoming a firm favourite for me.

I first spied this parmesan and tarragon coated chicken schnitzel in Laura Faire's cookbook Now Is The Season (an awesome book by the way, especially for any budding gardeners). The parmesan crumb coating looked amazing,  helped by the fact that each schnitzel gets crumb-coated twice. So you can imagine how crunchy and satisfyingly crispy they are. The tarragon flavour is subtle and mellow, so I served it with a tangy homemade mayonnaise with some added dijon mustard, lemon juice and chopped gherkins mixed in (capers would have been nice too). And don't forget the obligatory lemon wedge to squeeze on top. We also served it with a salad and plain rösti. Delicious!

Parmesan and Tarragon Coated Chicken Schnitzel (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup of Water
• 1 cup finely grated fresh parmesan (between 80-100g is fine)
• 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons dried tarragon, or 2 tablespoons French Tarragon leaves (chopped)
• Oil for frying

Method:

Firstly you'll want to preheat your oven to 200 Celsius/392°F

Now cut each chicken breast horizontally, so you get two schnitzels out of each breast. Then place the chicken pieces on chopping board, cover with waxed paper and bash with a rolling pin to flatten so that they are even, like a thick schnitzel.

Then fill three dishes with the following ingredients: one with combined flour, salt and pepper; one with the beaten eggs and water; and one with the combined parmesan, breadcrumbs and tarragon.

Coat the chicken pieces first in the flour, then the egg, then the crumb mixture. Repeat so that each piece has been coated twice.

Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan, add one or two of the schnitzels (don't overcrowd your pan) and fry the chicken until golden on each side (add more oil when necessary). Place on a baking tray while cooking the remaining pieces.

When all the chicken pieces are fried until golden place the tray in the over for 10-15 minutes until cooked through.

Recipe adapted from 'Now is the Season' - Laura Faire