Baked Chicken with Bread Crumbs and Caciocavallo Cheese

Method7 steps · about 1 hr 30 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Peel and clean the onion (1) and carrot (1); wash the celery (1) and parsley. Cut the vegetables into large pieces and put them with the parsley in a pot large enough for the chicken. Add all three litres water and coarse salt to taste, starting conservatively. Bring to a boil.

   Uses 1 onion · A few fresh parsley leaves for the broth · 1 carrot · 1 celery stalk for the broth · Coarse salt for the 3 litres of broth, to taste; start conservatively · 3 litres water for the chicken broth

2. 2

   Step 2: Cut the raw chicken (1) into pieces and remove the skin and larger bones. Do not rinse raw poultry. Wash hands and clean the board and tools after handling it; keep these prepared raw pieces ready for the boiling broth.

   Uses 1 raw whole chicken, cut into pieces with skin and larger bones removed in step 2

3. 3

   Step 3: Put all the prepared raw chicken pieces into the boiling vegetable broth. Reduce to a steady simmer and cook with the lid slightly open for about thirty minutes, until the chicken reaches 74°C / 165°F in the thickest pieces. Taste the broth and adjust its coarse salt only if needed.

   Simmer chicken until fully cooked · 30 minUses All prepared broth and vegetables · All skinless trimmed raw chicken pieces · A little more broth coarse salt only if needed after tasting

4. 4

   Step 4: Squeeze both lemons (2) into a large bowl, removing the seeds. Add a generous amount of the dressing olive oil, plenty of oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Beat with a fork to emulsify.

   Uses 2 lemons · Plenty of oregano for the lemon-oil dressing, to taste · A generous amount of extra virgin olive oil for the lemon dressing, as needed · Salt and pepper for the lemon-oil dressing, to taste

5. 5

   Step 5: Lift the cooked vegetables out of the broth with a slotted spoon and reserve separately for another use. Lift out all the fully cooked chicken and put it in the lemon-oregano dressing. Turn the pieces repeatedly for five minutes to coat them; the remaining broth can be reserved separately.

   Coat cooked chicken in lemon dressing · 5 minUses All fully cooked chicken lifted from its broth; vegetables and broth reserved separately · All prepared lemon dressing

6. 6

   Step 6: Put the grated Caciocavallo and breadcrumbs on separate plates. Coat each dressed cooked chicken piece first in cheese, pressing it on so it sticks, then in breadcrumbs. Set all the breaded pieces in a baking dish; the amount of coating left on the plates can vary.

   Uses All dressed chicken pieces · 120 g grated Caciocavallo available for coating; use as much as adheres · 2 cups breadcrumbs available for coating; use as much as adheres

7. 7

   Step 7: Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Drizzle a little of the separate baking olive oil over the breaded chicken and bake for about thirty minutes, until the coating is crisp and golden and the chicken is thoroughly hot at 74°C / 165°F. Serve hot as six portions.

   Bake breaded chicken until crisp and hot · 30 minUses All assembled breaded chicken · A little additional extra virgin olive oil over the breaded chicken before baking