The Method

Cut the onion in half, then peel and dice. Peel and trim the carrot and finely chop. Trim the celery and finely chop. Peel and crush the garlic.

To make the sauce, heat a pan over a medium heat. Add half the oil with the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened but not coloured. Season with pepper and stir in the tomatoes or passata, then simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Blitz with a hand blender until smooth, adding a little water if necessary.

Meanwhile, plunge the spaghetti into a large pan of boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes or according to packet instructions until tender.

Cut the chicken in half so you have two fillets, then cover with parchment paper and bash with a rolling pin until they are the same thickness all over. Put the flour in a shallow dish. Break the egg into another dish, then season with pepper and lightly beat. Blitz the bread into breadcrumbs and put into a third dish with the Parmesan, stirring to combine. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, lightly coat in the flour, then dip into the beaten egg, and finally coat in the breadcrumb mixture. Transfer the breadcrumbed fillets to a baking sheet as you go.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the rest of the oil and cook the breadcrumbed chicken fillets for 3 minutes on each side until crisp and golden brown.
Heat the grill to high. Arrange the chicken on a baking tray and spoon a little of the sauce over the middle of each fillet, then top each one with mozzarella. Grill the fillets for 2 minutes until the mozzarella is melted and bubbling. Test with a small knife to ensure the chicken is cooked through.

Drain the spaghetti and fold in the rest of the tomato sauce. Divide between plates and add a chicken Parmigiano to each one. Garnish with basil, if liked to serve.

* Suitable for vegetarians if plant-based alternative is used instead of chicken