Chicken Breast Fillet Cheat Code

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization was the bearer of bad news when it warned countries that food prices will continue to rise. In an interview with USA Today, Jacques Diof, director general of the said agency, the rising food price trend is due to climate change, low food stocks, increasing demand for bioenergy, and greater demand in countries such as China and India.

Even with an Economics degree, I cannot offer any quick solution to this world problem. It is far too great a problem to be given a quick fix. The real issue here is that rising food prices will have an impact on everyone - rich or poor. The impact is far greater if you include the effects of an insanely high gas prices. You can kiss your purchasing power goodbye.

There is a way to beat the rising food prices in our own little way. Stretching the food budget takes a lot of skills and creativity. I learned some tricks when I worked as a cook and they will come in very handy if money is tight and stomach is hungry.

I will start with a favorite trick, which I will call the Chicken Breast Fillet Cheat Code.

Here's what you need in your arsenal:
Knife
Chopping Board
Frying Pan

Ingredients:
1 Chicken Breast Fillet
Egg
Flour
Bread Crumbs (Japanese, preferably, for more crunch)
Salt & Pepper
Oil

Procedure:
1. Slice the breast fillet horizontally. Continue slicing until you get a total of 3 to 6 thin fillets. This will depend on the size of the chicken so don't worry if you only have 3.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper
3. Prepare the breading mixture (in different containers) in this order: Flour, Egg, Bread Crumbs. You can also season the flour if you like.
4. Dredge the fillet in flour, then in egg, then in bread crumbs.
5. Repeat step #4 until the fillet grows in size. It can be as big as your face and it will still be ok.
6. Cook in oil until brown. Don't burn!
7. Serve

Ok, so it's just a breaded chicken breast fillet, what's so special about it? Well, first of all, you were working with one (1) breast fillet, but you ended up with three breaded chicken fillets (at the very least). I can make it 6 with a big breast fillet. And we are not talking about a tiny portion, we are looking at "as-big-as-you-want" portion. Repeating the breading process gives the chicken added size and texture. The taste can be good as you want it to be by adding herbs and spices.

Imagine, feeding 3 to 6 people with just one chicken breast fillet. Of course, this is not what you would serve when you want to impress your guests. The goal was to make the most of the ingredients you have. I would recommend it if you really are having a bit of food budget crisis. But then again, some restaurants are guilty of hiding the chicken in multi-layers of breading. Well, at least you know when you've been had.