This recipe is doubly seasonal, so I hope it tempts Slow Food members. It is offered with suggestions that are best used as a launch pad for your own personal preferences and flights of fancy. If you are having it on a cold day (or evening), serve hot with corn fritters (thick batter as in American griddle cakes or Scotch pancakes, speckled with diced bits of red pepper, spring onion and corn kernels then flavoured with freshly chopped coriander and parsley), buttery mashed potatoes and sauteed bananas. For a spring/summer meal, it makes an excellent picnic with potato salad (sliced or diced boiled new potatoes mixed with lemon juice, salt, mayonnaise, diced green pepper and red onion, chopped hardboiled egg and grated carrot) and something green and crunchy (French beans tossed with grated parmesan and diced onion in a vinaigrette dressing perhaps).

1 1/2 kg chicken, cut into pieces or any combination of pieces you prefer
115g plain flour
2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
2 eggs
115ml milk or water
250g breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried oregano (optional)
100ml vegetable oil

Season the flour with paprika, salt and pepper.

Beat the eggs with milk or water to loosen.

Mix the crumbs with oregano if using.

Dredge the chicken pieces in flour, roll in egg then coat in crumbs.

Meanwhile, heat the oil on a shallow baking/cookie tray in a hot oven (425F/200C/Gas 7).

Place the chicken, skin side down, in the hot oil and bake for 30 minutes.

Turn, bake for another 30 minutes then remove and drain before serving.

Bernice Hurst
Slow Food Oxon
April 2005