Crispy Smashed Chicken

There is nothing spectacular about this dish. It is just a bunch of bashed up boneless skinless chicken breasts which are dredged in seasoned flour and then pan fried. Hang on a second. Chicken breasts? Skinless? Is this PH's blog?

You know how much I hate chicken breasts and the fact that it is skinless, even more so. My partner loves chicken breasts for the obvious fact that it has less fats. He even removes the skin. Me? No thank you, hand over the thighs and the drumsticks. And hey, handover the skin too.

The reason why I am doing this chicken breast thingy is because that's what the recipe is about. Something simple that you can prepare on a week night when you have no idea what to cook. Besides, chicken breast is easy to work with. Much as I love chicken legs, I will not slave in the kitchen getting it deboned. By the way, I don't cook on week nights. It is too time consuming and stressful. All my food is precooked and stashed in the fridge.

Prep work for this chicken dish is rather simple. Mix some flour with salt, pepper, chilli powder or whatever seasoning of your choice. Set is aside. Then put the chicken breast between two plastic sheets and bash it with a hammer. I mean a meat tenderizer that looks like a hammer. Or anything that you can use to bash up the meat. It's a great way to express your pent up angst while doing this. 

Once the chicken breast is thin enough (don't over do it), dredge it with the seasoned flour and pan fry the meat in a hot pan till browned on both sides. It is crispy while still hot, so you want to serve this pronto. You could eat this with chilli sauce or whatever sauce you like. Or better still serve it with Salsa Roja Asada. 

So how did I like the crispy smashed chicken breasts? It was alright, given that I like the crispy fried taste. Not bad at all. It went well with the salsa and is a better choice compared to tortilla chips, don't you think?

Crispy Smashed Chicken
Recipe source : Adapated from Nom Nom Paleo (page 197)

Ingredients :
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- Oil for frying
- 2 limes, cut into wedges (optional)
- Salsa Roja Asada or your favorite salsa (optional)

Method :
1. Place the chicken breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment. Then smash the meat with a meat pounder until the chicken is uniformly flattened into 1/2 inch thick pieces.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika and pepper.
3. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and pat off any excess.
4. Heat oil over medium heat in a large cast-iron skillet until hot.
5. One at a time, fry each chicken breast in the skillet, letting it cook undisturbed for 3-4 minuets before flipping. Then cook the other side for 3-4 minutes, or until the exterior is crisp and golden brown.
6. Transfer the chicken to a wire rack and tent it with foil while you fry up the remaining pieces.
7. Slice up the chicken pieces and serve with lime wedges and your favourite salsa.

This post is also linked to Cook-Your-Books #20 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.