Spaghetti with tomato & fried chicken

Summer

Everyone who eats this dish falls in love with it immediately. Then, they go away and make it for themselves or for their family or friends. That’s what good food does, that’s what it is. This is not my dish, though, it was my mum’s. Now I cook it, Alice cooks it, my brother cooks it, even my daughters cook it. I’m not sure exactly what makes it so, so good, but I can’t implore you enough to try it, because I genuinely know you’ll love it as much as I do. And, when you do, we will have created something that lives forever.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2–3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
1 rosemary sprig
2 or 3 bay leaves
500g (1lb 2oz) skinned, ripe tomatoes, chopped; or 1 x 400g (14oz) tin good-quality chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
2 chicken breasts (each about 200g/7oz)
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 egg, beaten
100g (3½oz) white breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons light oil (such as sunflower)
2 or 3 thyme sprigs
about 100g (3½oz) spaghetti
1 knob of butter
grated Parmesan, to serve
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Place a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil, followed by the onion, garlic, chilli, rosemary and bay leaves. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes, until the onion is soft but not coloured. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar and a good splash of water. Place a lid on the pan and simmer for 35–40 minutes, until the tomatoes are breaking down and tender. Remove the lid and cook for a further 8–10 minutes to thicken the sauce. Taste, adjust the seasoning, remove from the heat and keep warm.

While the sauce is cooking, prepare the chicken. Slice each breast in half as evenly as you can across its face, giving you four much thinner, similar-sized pieces. You can tap them out using a rolling pin to get them nice and thin. Season them with salt and pepper, then toss them in the flour, dip them in the egg and finally cover them liberally with the breadcrumbs.

Heat a large, heavy frying pan over a medium–high heat. Add the light oil and, when hot, add the breaded chicken and the thyme sprigs. Fry for 6–8 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is cooked through and the crumb is crisp and golden.

Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of salted water until done to your liking. Drain, then return the pasta to the pan. Add the tomato sauce, the butter and a little more seasoning and stir everything through carefully. Divide the spaghetti between two warm plates, sprinkle with a little Parmesan and serve on the plate alongside equal portions of the fried chicken.

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