Breaded chicken thighs on zucchini ratatouille

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 medium-sized zucchini, approx. 270 – 300 g
• 1 medium-sized red bell pepper(s), approx. 150 g
• 2 onions, together approx. 150 g
• 2 cloves garlic
• 200 g tomatoes, chopped, from the can
• 2 dl water or not too concentrated vegetable broth
• 8 small cherry tomatoes
• 1 tsp, heaped paprika powder, sweet
• 1 dashes lemon juice
• 1 small parsley
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1 box of rosemary sprig(s)
• e.g. sea salt and pepper
• n. B. sugar
• 4 tbsp olive oil for frying
• 4 chicken legs (chicken thighs)
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 tbsp milk or cream
• some flour and breadcrumbs
• 2 dl sunflower oil or clarified butter for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

simply

For the ratatouille, wash the zucchini and peel one strip with a vegetable peeler, leaving one strip standing. Trim both ends and halve lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon. Cut the zucchini into slices about 5-7 mm thick. For better digestibility, peel the bell pepper with a vegetable peeler. Cut open the pod and remove the seeds, then cut lengthwise into thin strips (about 4 mm wide) and halve the strips. Peel the onions, halve them lengthwise, and thinly slice the halves. Peel the garlic cloves, halve them lengthwise, and cut into very thin slices. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Chop the parsley, not too finely. Strip/pluck the thyme and rosemary from the stems and chop finely. Halve the lemon and squeeze the juice from one half. For the meat, remove the bones from the chicken thighs and peel off the skin. Rinse the chicken pieces under water (room temperature), pat dry, and place in a freezer bag for flattening. Carefully flatten the chicken slightly and season with salt and pepper. Set up a breading station. For this small batch, three soup bowls are sufficient. One bowl should be white flour, a second bowl should be egg yolk and cream mixed together, and a third bowl should be breadcrumbs. Now add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large, nonstick pan and heat. Add the zucchini and fry until lightly browned. Then season with salt and pepper and transfer to a plate. Add another 2 tablespoons of oil to the same pan, heat, and add the onions. After a good minute—the onions must not brown—add the bell peppers and garlic. Fry, stirring frequently. In the meantime, place a medium-sized steel pan (large enough to hold all four chicken pieces) on the heat plate and warm the 2 dl of oil or clarified butter in it. You may need a little more oil (depending on the size of the pan), as the chicken will be deep-fried. Before the onions brown, add the paprika, stir briefly, and then add the chopped tomatoes. Rinse the empty bowl or can with water or stock, stir, and then pour it into the pan. Reduce the heat and add the fried zucchini. Stir everything well and simmer on low heat. After about 2 minutes, add the cherry tomatoes, chopped thyme, and rosemary, and simmer for about 8 minutes. While cooking, season with salt, pepper, a little sugar, and lemon juice. Add a little more water if necessary. In the meantime, bread all the chicken pieces. First coat them in flour, tap them off a little, then coat them in the egg yolk and cream mixture, and finally coat them well in the breadcrumbs. Add them immediately to the oil (approx. 170 degrees Celsius) and fry until golden brown on both sides. Swirl the pan gently every so often. When the chicken is done, transfer it to a paper towel to drain. Now add the chopped parsley to the ratatouille and stir again. For one serving, arrange half of the ratatouille in the center of a plate and place two pieces of chicken on top of the vegetables. Serve with a thick piece of white bread or a roll. Tip: If you like the chicken skin, you can fry it with the chicken. Don’t remove it too early; it should be really crispy. This gives the dish that extra crunch. The most important thing for me is always a good “mise en place.” Then cooking is twice as fun.