500gboneless skinless chicken breasts(if making more adjust the ingredients)
½cupflour
2largeeggs
2cupsbreadcrumbs of your choice
1tbsppaprika
4tspsalt
Oil for frying, avocado oil, or vegetable oil
Fresh lemon wedges for garnish
Ingredients: for the avo bake1 large ripe avocado, peeled and cut into slices
12slicesfresh mozzarella cheese
12slicesripe tomato(thick)
few fresh basil leaves
2tbspavocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Schnitzels:
Trim any visible tendons or extra bits of fat from the breast Set aside.
Lay the breast on a cutting board with a smooth side facing upward. Identify the thickest round edge of the breast. Place your hand flat on the top of the breast. Slice carefully horizontally into the thickest round edge, slicing about three-quarters of the way into the breast (dividing top half of breast from bottom). Do not slice all the way through.
Unfold the breast to reveal two halves (this is a "butterfly" of the breast). Slice down the middle to divide the breast into two equal pieces. When finished with the pound of chicken, you should have chicken breasts of relatively equal size.
Lay down a strip of plastic wrap on your kitchen countertop. Place chicken breasts on the plastic, leaving space between each piece of meat. Cover the breasts with another strip of plastic wrap, so the meat is sandwiched between two layers of plastic.
Use the flat side of a mallet to pound the breasts thin until they are evenly flattened. Place all the pounded breasts on a plate. Set up three wide, shallow bowls and a large empty plate on your countertop. In your first bowl, put the flour. In your second bowl, beat the eggs together with 2 teaspoons of water until well mixed. In your third bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, paprika, and salt, mix well. Place an empty plate nearby where you will put your coated schnitzels.
Pour oil into a skillet or sauté pan until it’s deep enough for frying, about a 1/4 full.
Heat the oil slowly over medium heat.
While oil is heating, dip each breast one by one into your flour. Next, dip the floured breast in egg until well coated. Finally, place the egg-covered breast into the bowl of the breadcrumb mixture.
Use a dry hand to coat the breast evenly with breadcrumbs. Repeat the process for the remaining breasts.
You want your frying oil hot, but not so hot that the oil smokes or splatters. Fry the coated breasts in single-layer batches until they are golden brown on both sides. If your oil is at the right temperature, it should take about 2 to 3 minutes per side to cook the schnitzels. Don’t fry more than two breasts at a time in a regular-sized skillet, or the oil temperature will drop and the schnitzels will become greasy. When the oil is at the right temperature, the schnitzels will absorb very little oil and cook up light and crisp.
After frying, set the schnitzels on a drying rack to drain excess oil.Sprinkle the schnitzels with additional salt to taste, if desired.
Assembling the Schnitzels to bake in the oven:
Preheat oven to 180°C/356°F Line a baking tray with baking paper or a non-stick spray and arrange the schnitzels on the tray.
Top each cooked schnitzel with a slice of tomato, mozzarella, and alternate with sliced avocado and basil leaves, drizzle with oil.
Place in oven for 15 minutes and then continue to cook under the grill until cheese is melted and golden.