Today We Have Disaronno On The Rocks With Breaded Chicken Thighs

You don't always have to go flour-egg-crumbs with a piece of meat or fitch...when frying it's necessary to glue the coating on, but if you're engaging in a less contact method like baking, oil alone will do to adhere the crumbs and seasoning to the protein and maintain moisture. 

For instance...some well-aged bread, hard as can be, I think, processed to little crumbs, seasoned with fresh oregano, salt and pepper.  I used boneless chicken thighs because, although breasts pounded out are just fine, thighs pounded out can be even better.  

It's worth using good oil...maybe not your best EVOO, but something you like the taste of.  It's quick, less messy than frying, and you're left with less lipid overall.  I did spritz the pieces with my olive oil mister just out of the oven to ensure they glistened and were abundantly moist, which they were.  We enjoyed it beside a crisp endive salad with bell pepper, picholine olives and chickpeas. This method works great on a firm white fish too.     

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 loaf rustic bread, several days old and very hard
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Handful fresh herb of choice (oregano, basil, thyme, etc. or a mixture), finely chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
Pinch of hot pepper flakes
Optional: extra virgin olive oil applied in mist form

Equipment:

Meat pounder or tenderizer

Optional: spray mister

Heavy Duty plastic wrap

1 metal baking sheet

To make the bread crumbs, cut the bread into roughly 1 inch cubes.  Put them in a food processor and pulse to the desired level of fineness, ensuring they are somewhat uniform in size.  Place the crumbs in a bowl big enough to dredge the chicken pieces in and mix in the herbs, hot pepper, and salt and pepper to taste.  

Preheat an oven to 400° F with the rack in the upper middle.   

Lay a thigh out on a double layer of plastic wrap on a work surface that you can thoroughly clean later.  Place another double layer of plastic on top, and using the textured edge of the meat pounder, whack the chicken, not too energetically, going in a circular motion from the inside out, until it's a uniform thickness of about a 1/4 inch.  Set aside and repeat for all the pieces.  Alternatively you can use a tenderizer with spears and run over each side of the chicken twice in opposite directions.  Season to taste them all with salt and pepper.

Put the olive oil in a bowl that's also big enough to dredge the chicken in.  Prepare your assembly line; chicken, then oil, then crumbs, then baking sheet.  Dip the chicken in the oil to coat the entire surface, then drain off the excess.  Press firmly into the breadcrumbs, turning to coat fully and evenly.  The crumbs may not adhere that strongly at first, but by pressing firmly and then placing them gently on the baking sheet you'll be ok.

When all the pieces are coated, bake them for 20 minutes, checking midway to see how brown the bottom is, flipping if necessary.  If you desire them more brown after 20 minutes, turn the broiler on and broil them for 1 to 2 minutes, paying careful attention so the breading doesn't burn.