I’m not even going to ask if you know panne because I know you know, and if you know you know. A lot of controversy surrounds the origins of who came up with the ingenious idea of beating and breading meat; in fact the Italians and Austrians are still fighting over where it originated. The earliest known historical evidence is found in 12th century Italy, with a dish called Lombolos Cum Panitio, get it?
The word panne comes from the French word for crumbs, one of the most important ingredients in preparing it. For us, however, little is known about when exactly Egyptian households started serving the tasty dish on their sofras; some say the French brought it in with their invasion in the 19th century, others only started tracing it back to the last 30 years.
Regardless of where it came from, what we do know is that it’s one of the quintessential meals that carries part of our collective childhood memories. Whether you indulged in it poolside from tupperware boxes after a long training session at the Nadi, bought it from your neighborhood sandwich shop, or had it with a side of French fries on days when your mom was a bit too tired from a long day at work to make your dad his treasured bamya, we’ve all had these beautiful bites of crunch at some point of our lives.
Essential Ingredients:
- Chicken
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Eggs
- Oil
- Flour/Corn starch
- Breadcrumbs
- Lemon juice
- Vinegar
Optional:
- Yoghurt
- Paprika
- Onion juice
- Doritos (if you’re feeling wild)
- Buttermilk (for a juicier and more tender chicken)
- Barbecue sauce
- Turmeric
- Cardamom
Instructions:
- Bring 1 kg of chicken breast cutlets, you can find them readily prepackaged and thinned in the supermarket refrigerator, or if you’re feeling wild, grab your pounder and take out all the repressed anger at that guy who cut you off or your ex on some fresh chicken breasts. Point is, the pieces should be thin.
- Now it’s time to marinade.
Marinade:
- In a large bowl mix:
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- ¼ cup of lemon juice
- 4 tbsp vinegar
Breading:
- Crack 4 eggs in a bowl and whip with ¼ cup of water.
- In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs (if you’re feeling experimental, you can add your Doritos, or substitute the breadcrumbs all together for panko crumbs), ½ a tsp of salt and ½ tsp of pepper (and add more paprika or turmeric to your mix if you need that extra kick).
- In a third bowl, pour the flour.
- Bring out the chicken to start the most fun part!
- Dip the chicken till its immersed on all sides in this order: flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs.
- Time to fry.
Frying:
- Add the oil to a pan and preheat to medium-high heat. The oil does not need to fully cover the chicken, only one side at a time.
- Add your chicken one by one to the pan, fry each side till its brownish golden. (If the chicken is thin enough, each side should take 2-3 minutes tops).
- Add your chicken pieces to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Enjoy with a side of fries, spaghetti, mahshi, or anything really.
- Alf Hana!