Seasonally Simple: Chicken Milanese with Arugula and Crispy Proscuitto

My typical Saturday goes a little something like this...sleep in, walk dog, hit the gym and then come home and start my weekly cleaning session. It's amazing how dirty a house can get in seven days. Keep in mind my sweet little pup is only 9 months old and I will blame her for most of the mess (sorry Riley).

A part of my cleaning routine is to go through the refrigerator and toss any left overs that we haven't eaten. Fruits and veggies that are looking a little less then fresh and any other items that are just crying to be moved from the fridge to the garbage. My husband thinks I am a little dramatic with how long food will keep (seven days MAX) but after taking a ServSafe class in culinary school you would trend on the safe side as well. We do the bulk of our shopping on Sunday's so this is also the time to see whatever ingredients have a little life in them and create something delicious.

I pulled a chicken breast out of the freezer on Thursday for dinner but it didn't defrost in time and Friday was date night. So that meant that today (Saturday) was the last opportunity to cook the chicken before it made it's way into the trash. As we all know, chicken is a boring staple and needs to be jazzed up a bit before it turns into a delicious dish so I was on the search for a few more items. Last week, I was shopping for my first blog post (Pappardelle with Braised Leeks) and went to the deli and ordered what I thought was 10 thin slices of proscuitto. It turns out the guy behind the counter was not paying attention and before I knew it I had $25 worth of proscuitto (I have had my fair share of proscuitto this week). Last but not least, I discovered some Arugula on the top shelf all the way in the back with two servings left in the bag.

As you will soon discover, I am passionate about all things Giada de Laurentiis. I have watched every episode of Everyday Italian and Giada at Home, I have all of her cookbooks (and have cooked a TON of recipes), went to a live cooking demo in DC a few months ago and in less then a month will officially get to meet my role model/idol at a book signing. Her dishes are so flavorful that all you need are a few bites and your completely satisfied. Anyway, my inspiration for today came from her Chicken Milanese with Tomato and Fennel which I make on a regular basis and is as tasty as ever. I referenced her technique for chicken milanese and decided to use the arugula in its basic form and bake the proscuitto for 8 minutes until it was nice and crispy.

Cleaning out your fridge is a great way to help get your creative juices flowing and make you feel more comfortable around the kitchen. Before you know it you will be walking through the aisles of Whole Foods and creating your meals on the fly. Enjoy this recipe and let me know what you think.

Chicken Milanese with Arugula and Crispy Proscuitto
Serves 2

Chicken
1/4 Cup of All Purpose Flour
1 Egg Beaten
1 Cup of Italian Bread Crumbs
1/4 Cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese
1-2 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts (I say 1-2 depending on how big of an eater you, I only used 1)
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Proscuitto
3 Thin Slices of Proscuitto
Canola Oil Spray

3 Cups of Arugula
Salad Dressing of Choice (I made a lemon vinaigrette with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of dijon muster - mix)

Using 3 wide shallow bowls - add the flour to one, eggs to one another and bread crumbs, parmesan and a touch of salt and pepper to one.

On a cutting board, place chicken between two piece of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or bottom of a frying pan and pound the chicken until 1/4-inch thick. Dredge chicken in flour (shake off excess), eggs (allow excess to drip off), coat with bread crumb mixture (shake off excess but be sure it is well coated. Cut chicken in thin strips to be placed on top of arugula.

In a large, nonstick saute pan heat olive oil to medium heat. All the oil to heat so that when you move the oil around the pan the oil ripples. I always toss in a pinch of bread crumbs to see if it bubbles to ensure the oil is hot enough (but do not over heat as olive oil has a low smoke point). Saute chicken breast for about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Spray a baking sheet with canola oil and place proscuitto in a single layer and broil on low for 5-8 minutes. Proscuitto will crisp up. Once cooled, crumble proscuitto.

Place arugula on a plate, top with sliced chicken breast (in my case I topped with 1/2 chicken breast), crumble proscuitto on top and dress with favorite dressing. Bon appetit.