Ultra crispy and delicious chicken topped with a tangy and refreshing chopped Greek salad.
Not only is this recipe simple to make, it’s loaded with so much flavour that you’re going to completely fall in love with it. Follow me…
Crispy Greek Chicken
There are two elements to this recipe: the base and the topping. The base is a thinly pounded crispy chicken breast. Some call it a Chicken Milanese, some call it a Chicken Schnitzel – I simply call it an incredibly tasty platform to load on a chopped Greek salad.
Pounding the chicken
The most therapeutic part of the recipe. You can use a mallet, rolling pin or even a heavy pan. Anything to get the chicken nice and thin/level. This will not only help the chicken cook through more evenly, but it’ll also help it cook through more quickly. Most importantly though, it levels it out so it creates the perfect crispy platform for our salad.
Coating the chicken
For the crispiest coating, we’ll be using Panko breadcrumbs. You’ll find these in the Asian section of most supermarkets. They’re big and airy, so they crisp up beautifully. To attach the breadcrumbs, we’ll first be coating the chicken in flour, then egg.
Process shots: lay cling film over chicken (photo 1), pound (photo 2), coat in flour (photo 3), coat in egg (photo 4), coat in Panko (photo 5).
Cooking the chicken
For this recipe, we will indeed be frying the chicken. Only shallow frying in enough oil to fill the base of the pan, so it’s nothing too extravagant. The chicken should be nice and thin as well, so it won’t take long to crisp up and cook through.
Resting the chicken
Don’t underestimate the importance of this step! Once you’ve fried the chicken, you’ll want to rest it on a wire rack to drain excess oil. At the same time, you’ll want to hit the chicken with a good pinch of salt; not only for a final layer of seasoning, but also to draw out the final bit of moisture from the crumb for extra crispiness.
Process shots: add chicken to oil (photo 1), fry (photo 2), rest (photo 3).
Chopped Greek Salad
Now THIS is the kind of thing you could eat by the spoon (not speaking from experience at all…). It’s light enough to top the fried chicken, but it’s so full of flavour it really shines by itself.
I actually like to make this at the start of the recipe and let it sit. This gives time for all of the flavours to mingle together. This will make a hefty salad, but it’s needed to cover the large surface area of the chicken.
Process shots: whisk dressing (photo 1), toss in salad ingredients (photo 2).
How to serve Greek Chicken
I like to place the chicken on a large plate and spoon over the salad. That way, the juices trickle through into the chicken. I also like to serve with the following:
- Lemon – this is essential to squeeze over at the end to complete the dish.
- Tzatziki (optional) – for some added sauce if you’d like it.
- Fries (optional) – the dish is really hearty as it is, but you could add fries if you’re extra hungry (or even Greek Fries if you’re feeling wild).
For the sister recipe to this dish check out my Crispy Caprese Chicken!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this crispy Greek chicken shall we?!
How to make Crispy Greek Chicken (Full Recipe & Video)
Crispy Greek Chicken
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Cling Film & Rolling Pin or Mallet (for pounding chicken)
- 3 Small Curved Trays or Large Dishes (for dredging chicken)
- Large Pan & Tongs (for frying chicken)
- Wire Rack & Large Tray or Paper Towels (for resting chicken)
- Large Mixing Bowl & Whisk/Fork (for salad)
Ingredients
Salad
- 200g / 7oz Tomatoes, diced
- 100g / 3.5oz Cucumber, diced
- 100g / 3.5oz Feta, diced
- 75g / 2.6oz Green Pepper, diced
- 75g / 2.6oz Kalamata Olives, diced
- 1/2 small Red Onion, finely diced
- 2 tbsp finely diced Fresh Dill
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 1/8 EACH: Salt, Black Pepper (or to taste – see notes)
Chicken
- 2x 200g/7oz Chicken Breasts
- 35g / 1/4 cup Plain Flour
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 75g / 1 1/4 cups Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp EACH: Salt, Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 120ml / 1/2 cup Olive Oil, or as needed
To Serve
- Flaky Sea Salt (optional – sub regular salt)
- 1 Lemon, halved
- Tzatziki (optional – see notes)
Instructions
- Salad: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper. Toss in all the remaining ingredients and place to one side (toss now and then during if you can).
- Prep Chicken: One by one, lay a chicken breast on a chopping board, then lay over a sheet of cling film. Use a rolling pin or mallet to pound the chicken. You want to get it nice and thin (or at least level thickness), but don't go overboard to the point it breaks apart.
- Seasoning: In a small pot or bowl, combine 1 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp salt and garlic powder and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
- Coat Chicken: Line up 3 large shallow dishes or curved trays – the first with flour and half of the seasoning mixed in, the second with beaten egg and the third with Panko and the rest of the seasoning mixed in. One by one, take the chicken and carefully coat it in the flour, then the egg and finish in the Panko. Make sure you thoroughly coat the chicken at each stage.
- Cook Chicken: Place a large pan over medium-high heat and fill with enough oil to comfortably cover the base of the pan. You want the oil hot enough that a crumb rapidly sizzles (I recommend using a thermometer and getting it to 180C/350F). One by one, fry the chicken for around 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Timings will depend on how thick the chicken is (safe internal temp is 74C/165F for reference). Place on a wire rack with a tray or paper towels underneath and finish with a pinch of salt.
- Serve: Spoon the salad over the chicken and finish with a good squeeze of lemon over everything. Tuck in and enjoy!
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
