Chicken schnitzel

Crumbed chicken and coleslaw in triplicate

Dear Reader,

Hello there. I hope you’re well. It’s been a good week for me. 

I enjoyed spending a few hours with a couple of cohorts of scholars completing their Master of Philosophy in Applied Epidemiology.

For the first (senior) cohort, I shared insights on pathologists and medical laboratory scientists’ critical role in applied epidemiology. For the second (junior) cohort, I spent a couple of hours providing practical instruction while doing my honorary visiting medical officer job at Canberra Health Services. It allowed me to share my fondness for microbiology’s history, philosophy, and value to modern medicine. My next session will focus on the policy piece which attracted me to Canberra nearly 15 years ago.

In other news, it’s been disturbing to see the number of people infected with SARS-COV-2 rising worldwide and reading reports of reinfection becoming more common. 

The SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant is extraordinary as an excellent immunological escape agent. It shows little cross-reactivity with the original virus and other variants. So this means if you haven’t been immunised and you’re infected with BA.1, you are unlikely to be protected against infection caused by different variants. 

Suppose you’re not immunised and infected with the SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant. In that case, you may be infected with other variants soon after you recover. It’s not an argument against immunisation; it’s an argument for immunisation. Some people assume there might be some partial immunity, but it appears to be non-existent.

I have no recipes this week. This week’s feature is that I “enjoyed” crumbed chicken and coleslaw thrice.

Chicken parmigiana at Fenway Public House

On Wednesday afternoon, I went out to dinner with some work friends. I had made a deal with one friend that it needed to be a chicken parmigiana the next time we went out for a meal. The last couple of times, she’s eaten a chicken parmigiana and commented on the addition of ham. MG is from Adelaide, and apparently, the addition of ham is not a feature of the dish in the City of Churches. I expressed that I’d never eaten a chicken parmigiana, so we should both have one next time.

The crumbed chicken breast was tender, and while not as moist as I would like, it wasn’t stringy or dry. The crumb was crispy, and the topping, including the thin pieces of ham, were tasty.

The coleslaw was a little bitter for my liking, and the gravy a little thin and tasteless. I think it needed some monosodium glutamate (MSG).

The chips were nothing to write home about.

Fenway Parmigiana with gravy and slaw

What I like about Fenway Public House is that requesting food and drink is completed using a tablet device when seated at a table. The drinks and food come out quickly, and payment at the end is simple, with each diner paying for their own meal. For a group of workmates, it’s perfect.

Crumbed chicken thigh and homemade coleslaw

Okay, a confession, when I posted this photo on Instagram, a friend who follows this blog pointed out that not all crumbed chicken is chicken schnitzel. I accept the error I’ve been making all these years and will refer to what I ate as crumbed chicken.

The coleslaw was made with red cabbage, red onion, red chilli, spring onion, parsley, and carrot bound with wasabi mayonnaise. I also added some green peppercorns to some instant gravy.

Chicken schnitty with green peppercorn gravy and wasabi mayonnaise coleslaw

Crumbed chicken thigh on Turkish bread with store-bought coleslaw

Tonight’s meal comes after a day of feeling not so much out of sorts, but I feel like only 7 cylinders are firing, and the 8th is losing compression. In many ways, it’s been a good day, but there’s something not quite perfect. 

It could be that I splurged on a sausage roll and feta and spinach triangle for lunch!

This dinner sandwich is simple. Everything was store-bought, and my only effort was in frying the crumbed chicken thigh in vegetable oil.

Final thoughts

  1. Do you like crumbed chicken?
  2. What’s your favourite recipe for coleslaw?
  3. Are you up to date with the COVID-19 immunisations?
  4. Do you enjoy dining out with workmates?

Feel free to answer these questions in the comments box.

The Courtney burger

Last week I posted about The Courtney, aka a chicken schnitzel with Hollandaise sauce. Tonight I made The Courtney burger! This delicious burger is simply a chicken thigh schnitzel fried in butter and served with Hollandaise sauce on a hamburger bread roll. I’ve added some raw onion and iceberg lettuce for crunch. The bread roll has also been lightly toasted to add a crunchy mouth feel.

The Courtney burger
Recipe Type: Dinner
Cuisine: Australian
Author: Gary Lum
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • Chicken thigh schnitzel
  • Hollandaise sauce
  • Burger bread roll
  • Tasty Coon cheese slices
  • Iceberg lettuce
  • White onion
  • Pepper
  • Butter
  • Tomato
Instructions
  1. Cook the chicken thigh schnitzel in grapeseed oil and butter
  2. Toast the bread roll
  3. Slice the tomato
  4. Slice a white onion
  5. Break off some iceberg lettuce leaves
  6. Build the burger
  7. Some butter
  8. Some cheese
  9. Some onion
  10. Some lettuce
  11. Tomato
  12. The schnitzel
  13. The Hollandaise sauce
  14. Shoot some photographs
  15. Eat The Courtney Burger
  16. Wash the dishes
  17. Write the recipes
  18. Blog (verb)

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Earlier in the day I enjoyed a smoked salmon and cream cheese poppy seed bagel.

Smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill and capers on a poppyseed bagel for lunch
Smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill and capers on a poppyseed bagel for lunch

Smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill and capers on a poppyseed bagel for lunch
Smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill and capers on a poppyseed bagel for lunch

Would you make a Courtney burger?

The Courtney

***Check out the update below***

I have a very good friend at work who likes a chicken schnitzel. I love chicken schnitzel. This friend also likes Hollandaise sauce. I love Hollandaise sauce. He told me one of his daughters has a friend named Courtney who likes chicken schnitzel and Hollandaise sauce together. My good friend from work feels this is anathema, an abomination. I on the other hand believe this Courtney is brilliant. She is a genius. In my mind The Courtney is perfect.

I present The Courtney

This one is from the Canberra Southern Cross Club Jamison.

"The Courtney" Chicken schnitzel with Hollandaise sauce
“The Courtney” Chicken schnitzel with Hollandaise sauce

This week we read in the NT News (the greatest newspaper in the universe) about some Darwin lads who anonymously rate chicken parmigiana in and around Darwin. They even have a Facebook page dedicated to their quest for the perfect chook parmy.

I suggested to my friend we could do this with chook schnitty in Canberra. I reckon this would be very cool and it would see me approaching my record weight from days gone by. Perhaps not a great idea after all. I’ll reconsider the idea I think. I really need to lose some weight. Today I enjoyed my fifth episode of birthday cake. Today I was at the hospital and my doctor friends took me to afternoon tea and spoilt me with cake.

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How do you feel about The Courtney?


 

A Courtney update

So today (Tuesday 2015-05-19) my friend (from above) from work went to The Tradies at Woden with a couple of friends and I had another Courtney. This was was pretty good.

The Courtney from The Tradies, Woden
The Courtney from The Tradies, Woden