Gordon Ramsay - I may not like you, but you CAN cook chicken!

Gordon Ramsay, let me just get it off my chest by saying, "I don't like him!" By that I am not at all implying that I know him, I'm simply saying that the image that he chose for himself as a public figure, is not my cup of tea. He clearly has a following if I just judge it by the traffic jam in front of the Cape Town Convention Centre, where the Good Food and Wine Show was held recently, so give credit where credit is due...he can cook, is very successful and clearly very entertaining.....sadly not to all.







Having said that, if I switch to the food channel and one of his shows are on, it is very hard to click away so let let me just say this publically......My name is Nina Timm and I watch Gordon Ramsay "in the closet sometimes!" Last week in one of his shows in the F Word series, he made this divine chicken dish and as I grabbed a pen to start jotting down the ingredients, I knew this recipe is going to be a winner with my family and indeed it was.... Gordon just calls this Mozzarella Chicken, but it so much more than just that....simple flavors turned into something really tasty. Just think, crunchy crumbed chicken, gooey melted cheese, sweet tomatoes and parmesan.......does it get any better than this?

I hear you asking, "So have you converted to a Gordon Ramsay fan?" The answer is still "No", but in future, if I see him cooking something, I might just stay a while longer. So here it is then....

Gordon Ramsay's Mozzarella Chicken



Ingredients - 4 servings



4 plump chicken breasts - skinned and de-boned

4 tbsp flour

salt/pepper

2 eggs - slightly beaten

soft breadcrumbs

about 2 tbs fresh chopped parsley

vegetable oil



For the salsa



500gr baby tomatoes - halved

a big handful of chopped basil

a pinch of sugar

salt/pepper

zest of a lemon

a squirt of lemon juice

vegetable oil

1 clove garlic crushed



For the topping



2-3 balls of fresh buffalo mozzarella - sliced

4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese



First butterfly the chicken breasts and then taken them through the crumbing process. Have 3 bowls ready, one with the seasoned flour, one with the beaten egg and the last one with the breadcrumbs. Dip the butterflied chicken in the flour first, shaking off all excess flour. Next, dip it into the beaten egg and lastly in the bread crumbs. Heat some vegetable oil in a big skillet and fry the chicken breasts until they are golden brown and crispy.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

In a smaller pan, heat some vegetable oil and add the tomatoes, basil and all the other ingredients for the salsa. Toss these ingredients in the pan over a high heat until the tomatoes start to break up, but not completely fall apart. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Spoon some of this tomato mixture on each chicken breast and arrange 2-3 slices of mozzarella on top. Finish off with some grated parmesan and bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Serve with some sauteed spinach or a side salad.

If this sounds complicated, see how the master himself does it.

If you are a fan and want to see and hear a bit more of Gordon Ramsay, clicke here!

Read all about his visit here in Cape Town.