Pub-style Chicken Parmy with Chips and Salad

Half the point of this project is finding out what people actually eat on an ordinary night out, and in Australia the answer, over and over, is a parmy. It is an easy sell at our table: breaded chicken, tomato sauce and cheese are a known quantity for my son, so the new part is the ritual. What I want to learn is the schnitzel itself; pounding a breast thin and getting the crumb crisp without burning it transfers to half a dozen other countries' dishes. Chips bake while chicken fries, and the topping is assembly.

• Chicken breasts: Two large breasts, each halved horizontally and pounded, give four thin cutlets: enough for two adults and a child with one left for lunch.
• Panko or dry breadcrumbs: Panko is crunchier; fine breadcrumbs are closer to a pub schnitzel.
• Napoli sauce: Australians call the smooth tomato sauce "napoli." A good jarred marinara is fine, or simmer a can of crushed tomatoes with garlic and a pinch of sugar for 10 minutes.
• Cheese: Pubs use shredded mozzarella, often mixed with cheddar or "tasty" cheese. A 50/50 blend melts and browns the way it should.
• Ham: A slice of deli ham per cutlet. Plenty of parmies are made without.
• Frozen oven fries: Thick-cut, steak-style fries are closest to pub chips.

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Spread the oven fries on a sheet pan in one layer; they go in first and take about 25 minutes.
2. Halve each chicken breast horizontally to make two thin cutlets. Place each between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment and pound with a mallet or heavy skillet to an even 1/3 inch. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Set up three shallow bowls: seasoned flour; eggs beaten with a tablespoon of water; breadcrumbs mixed with a pinch of oregano and the parmesan if using.
4. Coat each cutlet in flour, then egg, then crumbs, pressing so they stick. Lay on a plate in a single layer.
5. If making sauce from a can, simmer crushed tomatoes with a minced garlic clove, salt, a pinch of sugar and oregano for 10 minutes. If using jarred, warm 1 1/2 cups gently.
6. Tear the lettuce, slice the cucumber and cut the tomatoes into wedges. Whisk olive oil, vinegar, a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper for the dressing; toss only at serving.

1. Put the fries in the oven. Turn them once halfway through.
2. Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high until a crumb sizzles immediately. Fry two cutlets at a time, 3 minutes per side, until deep golden and cooked through (165°F). Drain on a rack and salt lightly. Repeat with the remaining cutlets.
3. When the fries have 5 minutes left, move the cutlets to a second sheet pan (or push the fries aside and share the pan). Spoon 1/3 cup sauce over each cutlet, lay a slice of ham on top, and cover generously with the mixed cheese.
4. Switch the oven to broil. Broil the chicken 2–4 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbling and browned in spots. Watch closely; it goes fast.
5. Pull the fries when brown and crisp at the edges and keep them warm.
6. Toss the salad with the dressing at the last minute.

Serve each parmy on a large plate with a heap of chips and the salad alongside, or with the chips tucked under the chicken if you want to join that side of the argument. Lemon wedges for the chips. There is no heat here at all; a mild plate is simply a smaller cutlet with sauce and cheese, no ham. Leftover cutlets reheat well in a 400°F oven for 10 minutes and make an excellent sandwich; leftover chips do not, so eat them tonight.