Recipe - Nigella’s Chicken Schnitzel with a Spanish Twist

This was/is one of my favourite dishes from Nigella Lawson’s ‘Nigella Express’ cookery book, but since moving to Spain, it somehow slipped out of the old repertoire.  However, a week or so ago, Nigella tweeted a link to this recipe and it reignited my interest!  

Nigella’s recipe calls for streaky bacon, which is not readily available here, but I thought Jamón de Serrano would be a perfect substitute, so here we go!

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:

• Chicken Breast Fillets (2 large ones of 4 small ones)
• 4 Slices of Jamón de Serrano
• White wine
• Salt and sweet paprika to season
• Olive oil

This is such a simple recipe, but it is so tasty.

First, take each chicken fillet and bash it with a rolling pin to create thin slices or escalopes.  I find it easier to place a layer of cling film beneath and on top of the fillet while you bash it.  Beat the fillet as thinly as you can; this is all very satisfying if you have had a stressful day.

Season the fillets liberally with salt and sweet paprika.

In a large shallow frying pan, heat some olive oil and gently fry the slices of Jamón until they start to crisp.  Place these crispy slices into some foil and set them aside.

Add the chicken escalopes into the same pan on a fairly high heat so the outsides turn a lovely golden brown.  Fry on each side until the juices run clear and the inside is no longer pink.

Place the cooked chicken breast fillets into a serving dish.

Pour a good splash of white wine (100 ml; I never measure, I just pour) into the frying pan to release all the caramelised juices from the chicken and the Jamón, and then snip the crispy slices of Jamón into the bubbling wine.

Pour this all over the chicken escalopes in the serving dish, and that’s it!  Simple and delicious.

We serve this with sautéed potatoes (sautéed in another dusting of sweet paprika) and a quick ratatouille of onion, courgette, red pepper and tomatoes cooked in red wine and chicken stock.  If you’d like the recipe for this ratatouille, just let us know and we’ll oblige!