Fred has a favorite, little Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side—Coppolla's—which he swears has the best Chicken Parmesan in the city. I, on the other hand, think that their Chicken Milanese is out of this world. The crispy, fried, extra-thin chicken cutlet covered with a mix of greens and chopped tomatoes. Mmm. My mouth is watering just thinking of it.
Since I had tons of leftover arugula I decided to make some Chicken Milanese at home. It is so easy to do, and so easy to alter based on what you have in your crisper. Fred's sister also made some last week and she used fresh basil and tomatoes instead of arugula. You could substitute mesclun salad, fresh spinach, or chop some flat-leaf parsley and toss that with tomatoes. There are no hard rules with this dish.
Start with your favorite recipe for chicken cutlets. This can be done ahead of time, since they don't need to be hot when eaten. In fact, I like to eat this with the chicken just warmed a little, kinda like room temperature. That's what makes it so perfect for summer. Then toss a mix of chopped greens and tomatoes with a glug of olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar in a bowl. You can use your hands for this part. Put a cutlet on each plate and then top with a handful of the salad mix (for the kids, you might want to put the salad on the side). Lick fingers and enjoy the taste of summer.
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