Cheesy Chicken Piccata With Spinach

Boil a kettle

Grate the mature cheddar finely

Add a handful of flour to a plate

Crack the egg[s] into a shallow bowl and beat with a fork

Add the panko breadcrumbs to another plate and combine with the grated cheese 

Place your hand flat on the chicken breast[s]

Slice in half as if you were cutting a burger bun, so you are left with two thinner pieces of chicken

Coat the chicken in the flour, tap off the excess, then add it into the beaten egg and finally press it firmly into the cheesy breadcrumbs to evenly coat all over

Refrigerate until step 5 

Add the linguine to a pot of boiled water with a large pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a high heat

Cook the linguine for 8-10 min or until cooked with a slight bite

Once done, drain the linguine

Meanwhile, re-boil a kettle

Peel and finely slice the garlic 

Roll the lemon[s] with your hand on a hard surface (to release more juice!) and cut in half

Cut half the lemon into wedges and reserve for garnish

Dissolve the chicken stock cube[s] in 100ml [200ml] boiled water

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a very generous drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add the breaded chicken and cook for 4-5 min on each side or until golden and cooked through

Tip: add more oil if your pan is looking a little dry 

Once cooked, transfer the breaded chicken to kitchen paper (keep the pan!)

Return the pan to a medium heat with a large knob of butter

Once hot, add the sliced garlic and cook for 1-2 min or until starting to lightly brown 

Once lightly browned, add the capers, clotted cream and chicken stock and cook for 1-2 min 

Wash the baby spinach, then add it to the pan and cook for 2 min further or until the spinach is wilted 

Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 [1] lemon and season with a generous grind of black pepper

Add the drained linguine to the pan and give everything a good mix up