Chicken Milanese with Arugula

From the garden

• 6 cups arugula, packed, thick stems removed
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 small red onion, sliced paper thin · soak the slices in cold water 5 minutes if the onion is fierce

From the pantry

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally into 8 cutlets
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated · half goes into the breading, half is shaved over at the table
• 2 lemons, one juiced, one cut into wedges
• 1 cup olive oil · most of it stays in the pan; 2 tablespoons go into the salad
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Halve the chicken breasts horizontally, then pound each piece between two sheets of plastic to an even 1/4 inch. Season both sides with salt and pepper and leave them out while the oil heats.
2. Set out three shallow dishes: the flour in the first, the beaten eggs in the second, and the panko tossed with half the grated parmesan in the third.
3. Dredge a cutlet in flour and shake off the excess, turn it through the egg, then press it firmly into the panko on both sides. Pressing is what keeps the crust from sliding off in the pan.
4. Heat 1/4 inch of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high until a crumb sizzles on contact. Fry the cutlets two at a time, about 3 minutes a side, until deep gold and cooked through to 165°F.
5. Drain them on a rack and salt them the moment they leave the oil. Toss the arugula, tomatoes, and onion with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil only when the last cutlet is out.
6. Lay a cutlet on each plate and pile the dressed salad over the top, where it half wilts against the hot crust. Shave over the remaining parmesan and serve with lemon wedges.