Ingredients

• 2 small chicken breastsbutterflied and lightly flattened
• 40 g plain flour
• 1 eggbeaten
• 70 g panko breadcrumbspanko, for a craggier crust than dried breadcrumbs
• 25 g Parmesanfinely grated
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 ciabatta rollsrustic, with an open crumb
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 small garlic clovefinely grated
• 20 g butter
• 8 sage leaves
• 3 tbsp runny honey
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp fine salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. 01

   Flatten and season

   Butterfly the chicken breasts and flatten them gently with a rolling pin to an even 1.5 cm. Even thickness is what stops one end drying out while the other is raw. Season both sides with about half the salt and pepper.

   2 small chicken breasts

   Even thickness beats thinnessA consistent 1.5 cm means crust and meat finish at the same moment.

2. 02

   Set up the coating

   Put the flour in one shallow dish with the garlic powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and the remaining salt and pepper; the beaten egg in a second; and the 70 g panko mixed with the grated Parmesan in a third. Press each chicken piece firmly into the panko so the crumbs stick in a thick, craggy layer.

   40 g plain flour · 1 tsp garlic powder · 1/2 tsp smoked paprika · 25 g Parmesan

3. 03

   Fry until deeply golden

   Pour a 5 mm depth of neutral oil into a frying pan and heat over medium for 2-3 minutes. A crumb dropped in should sizzle steadily, not violently. Fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes a side, until deep golden and cooked through (75 C on a probe). Hold the heat at medium: hotter and the crust darkens before the middle is done. Rest on a wire rack, never on kitchen paper, which steams the underside soft.

   Steady medium heatToo hot and the panko is mahogany over raw chicken. A crumb should sizzle the moment it lands.

   Rack, not kitchen paperPaper traps steam and softens the underside within a minute.

4. 04

   Make the hot honey

   Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat until foaming, add the sage leaves and fry for 30-45 seconds until crisp; lift them out. Add the chilli flakes to the butter for 15 seconds, then take the pan off the heat and stir in the honey and lemon juice.

   20 g butter · 8 sage leaves · 1/2 tsp chilli flakes · 3 tbsp runny honey · 1 tsp lemon juice

5. 05

   Garlic mayo and toast

   Mix the mayonnaise with the grated garlic clove and a pinch of salt. Split the ciabatta rolls and toast them cut side down in a dry pan for 1-2 minutes until crisp at the edges.

   2 tbsp mayonnaise · 2 ciabatta rolls

6. 06

   Build

   Spread the garlic mayo over both cut faces, add the chicken, spoon the hot honey over the crust so it soaks in at the edges, and finish with the crisp sage and plenty of black pepper. Eat immediately, while the crust is still loud.