Whats the Chef cooking this week?

This weeks recipe is a very much tried and tested Parmesan Chicken Breasts with Crispy Posh Ham. I have cooked this dish on a number of occasions in Bristol for my family and friends.

Being in the Catering recruitment business it is important that I keep myself in the chef industry. Having worked with various levels of catering staff in North Somerset and the Cotswolds I am always interested in seeing how different caterers prepare their food to high volume. So here is a great recipe that can be easily made for Wedding parties, Birthday celebrations or outside Catering events.

Ingredients
30g Parmesan cheese
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 skinless chicken breasts, preferably free-range or organic
freshly ground black pepper
I lemon
6 slices of prosciutto
olive oil

To prepare your chicken
• Grate your Parmesan
• Pick the thyme leaves off the stalks
• Carefully score the underside of the chicken breasts in a criss-cross fashion with a small knife
• Season with a little pepper (you don’t need: salt as the prosciutto is quite salty)
• Lay your breasts next to each other and sprinkle over most of the thyme leaves
• Grate a little lemon zest over them, then sprinkle with the Parmesan
• Lay 3 prosciutto slices on each chicken breast, overlapping them slightly
• Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining thyme leaves
• Put a square of cling film over each breast and give them a few really good bashes with the bottom of a pan until they're about I cm thick

To cook your chicken
• Put a frying pan over a medium heat
• Remove the cling film and carefully transfer the chicken breasts, prosciutto side down, into the pan
• Drizzle over some olive oil
• Cook for 3 minutes on each side. Turning halfway through, giving the ham side an extra 30 seconds to crisp up

To serve your chicken
• Either serve the chicken breasts whole or cut them into thick slices and pile them on a plate
• Serve with some lemon wedges for squeezing over, and a good drizzle of olive oil
• Lovely with mash and green veg or a crunchy salad!

Foot Note: I like to serve this with sweet potato mash and a mustard sauce. This is a really easy dish to make and it wows your friends making them think you have some really good catering skills.