I love any version of chicken Milanese. It's incredibly versatile, delicious, reasonably healthy and it can get me out of the kitchen and back in front of the computer quickly when I have a deadline.

And for this version I dressed up the chicken with some oranges, basil and capers.

Note that I said “reasonably healthy,” though. I did use butter instead of olive oil for the sauce. However, half of a tablespoon of butter per piece of chicken doesn't seem that outlandish in a world of fried chicken and bacon sandwiches.

Crispy Orange Chicken Milanese

4 thin chicken cutlets (pounded thin)

1 cup flour

Salt

Pepper

1 Egg

1 tablespoon of water

1 teaspoon of tabasco

1 cup of panko breadcrumbs

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

4 teaspoons capers

1/4 cup basil (chopped)

1 tablespoon of finely diced onion

2 oranges

Whisk together the egg, water and tabasco in a large bowl. Mix the salt, pepper and flour together. Pour the panko into a pie pan. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan until it's hot but not smoking. Then dredge the chicken through the flour, then the egg mixture and finally through the panko. Add the chicken to the pan. While the chicken is cooking, peel one of the oranges, separate the sections and roughly chop them. Cut the other orange in half. When the chicken is crispy (about 5 minutes) flip it over and brown the other side. When the chicken is done (approximately another 5 minutes) remove it to a wire rack. Melt the butter on low heat in the frying pan and add the onion. Juice both halves of the orange into the frying pan. In a small bowl mix together the basil, capers and orange slices. Add the butter/orange juice and onion mixture to the bowl and stir well to combine. Divide the sauce among the chicken breasts.

Serves 4.

(Photo by Launie Kettler)