MacPenneys chicken nugget

• 1 lb local or organic boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 egg
• 1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cooking oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Chop the chicken into small chunks and sprinkle them with salt and pepper (if desired).
2. Lightly beat the egg in a shallow bowl.
3. In another shallow bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, cheese, paprika, and garlic powder with a fork.
4. Now you are ready to bread the chicken. There is a simple technique that will make this part very easy. Make one of your hands the “wet hand” and the other one the “dry hand”. With your wet hand toss some of the chicken chunks into the egg mixture until they are coated on all sides. Then with your wet hand drop them on top of the bread crumb mixture. With your dry hand sprinkle some breadcrumbs on top of the chicken and then flip them over a few times until the pieces are coated. Put the coated pieces on a plate while you work on the rest of the chicken.
5. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large sauté pan (a non-stick pan is recommended) over medium-low heat.
6. Cook the chicken nuggets for several minutes on each side until they are golden brown. You want the nuggets to be cooked all the way through by the time they get brown on the outside. Cut one down the middle to make sure it is fully cooked.
7. Transfer the nuggets to a plate lined with paper towels to help drain off any excess oil.
8. Serve with organic ketchup or homemade honey mustard sauce (equal parts honey, mustard, and mayo). And don’t forget to freeze the leftovers!

proper chicken caesar salad

• 4 whole free-range or organic chicken legs, skin on
• 1 loaf ciabatta bread (about 9 ounces), torn into thumb-sized pieces
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
• Olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 thin slices pancetta or bacon
• 1/4 clove peeled garlic
• 4 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
• 3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan, plus a few shavings to serve
• 1 heaped tablespoon creme fraiche
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 or 3 heads romaine lettuce, outer leaves discarded

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the chicken legs in a snug-fitting roasting pan with the pieces of torn-up bread. Sprinkle with the chopped rosemary, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix with your hands to make sure everything is well coated, then lift the chicken legs up to the top, so they sit above the bread. This way, the bread will soak up all the lovely juices from the chicken, giving you the best croutons! Pop the pan into the preheated oven.

After 45 minutes the chicken should be nicely cooked. Take the pan out of the oven, drape the pancetta or bacon over the chicken and croutons, and put back for another 15 to 20 minutes for everything to crisp up. The chicken legs are ready when you can pinch the meat off the bone easily. When they're cooked, remove the pan from the oven and set it aside for the chicken to cool down slightly.

Pound the garlic and anchovy fillets in a pestle and mortar or a Flavor Shaker until you have a pulp. Scrape into a bowl and whisk in the Parmesan, creme fraiche, lemon juice and 3 times as much extra-virgin olive oil as lemon juice. Season dressing, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Pull the chicken meat off the leg bones - you can use 2 forks to do this, or your hands if you're tough like me - and tear it up roughly with the croutons and the bacon. Wash, spin dry and separate the lettuce leaves, tear them up and toss with the chicken, croutons, bacon and creamy, cheesy dressing. Scatter with some Parmesan shavings.