RECIPE: Make Ecco’s Chicken a la Milanese
I recently dined at Ecco Buckhead and fell in love with their crispy chicken a la Milanese. Are they willing to share the recipe? — Anna Negus, Atlanta
When Ecco’s executive chef Paul Martin sent this recipe, he wrote, “We took a traditional pork Milanese dish and adapted it. With the black garlic aioli and crisp, pickled onions, this dish has great complexity and flavor.”
At Ecco, the black garlic aioli is seasoned with fermented black garlic. You can find this at stores that sell Asian groceries, but Martin says it’s fine to substitute roasted garlic. He also recommends using high-quality aioli from your grocer’s shelves.
You can find roasted garlic in some grocery stores, but it’s easy to make at home. Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the top off a whole head of garlic, put it on foil and drizzle with olive oil, then wrap it up and bake 30 minutes or until very soft. (This can take up to 1 hour.) Unwrap the garlic and squeeze the roasted head to remove the cloves from their papery skin. Roasted garlic will keep, refrigerated, about 2 weeks.
Ecco garnishes the chicken with pickled red onions. Martin suggested using thinly sliced raw red onion, but he also provided Ecco’s recipe for preparing pickled onions: In a saucepan, bring 2 cups red wine vinegar and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add 1 cup granulated sugar and stir until dissolved. Put at least 1/4 cup sliced red onion (more if you would like extra pickled red onions for another use) in a medium bowl and cover with the hot pickling mixture. Let onions rest in the liquid at room temperature at least 2 hours before serving. They can be made ahead and refrigerated until needed.
Ecco’s Chicken a la Milanese
- 1 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 1/2 cups milk, divided
- 2 tablespoons aioli (see note)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons roasted garlic (see note)
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups panko
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 cup arugula
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (see note)
- 4 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Trim and discard fat from chicken breast and lay breast between two sheets of plastic wrap. Gently pound the breast to an even 1/2-inch thickness.
- Put chicken breast in a medium bowl and cover with 1 1/4 cups milk. Turn breast so all sides are coated in milk, cover and refrigerate 2 hours.
- While chicken is resting, in a small bowl, combine aioli and roasted garlic. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
- When ready to cook, in a large skillet, heat 1 inch oil to 350 degrees.
- Prepare to dredge chicken breast by putting panko in 1 pie plate and flour in another. Pour remaining 1 1/4 cups milk in a third pie plate. Remove chicken from milk and discard soaking liquid.
- Place chicken breast in flour and turn to lightly cover both sides. Transfer chicken breast to the pie plate with milk and turn to coat both sides, then move to panko and press lightly to adhere breadcrumbs to both sides.
- Carefully lower chicken breast into oil and cook until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees when tested with a meat thermometer, about 2 minutes, turning every 20 seconds to ensure even cooking. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, then season well with salt and pepper and transfer to serving plate. Discard remaining milk, flour and panko.
- In a small bowl, toss arugula with red onion, cherry tomatoes and capers. Add olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange arugula salad atop chicken, then garnish chicken with dollops of roasted garlic aioli. Serve immediately.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 810 calories (percent of calories from fat, 60), 46 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 54 grams total fat (9 grams saturated), 137 milligrams cholesterol, 688 milligrams sodium.From the menu of ... Ecco, 3586 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. 404-347-9558, ecco-atlanta.com.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
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