A two-egg omelette folded over sautéed chicken, onion and cheese, with parmesan grated over the top. Two minutes a side. One serving in ten minutes.
Two minutes a side
That is the answer to the question most people arrive here with. Two eggs, a skillet, moderate heat, two minutes on the first side, turn, and it is done.
The clock is a guide and the pan is the real signal. The base is ready when the omelette moves freely if you shake the skillet. If it is stuck, it is not set, and turning it early tears it.
Why the chicken goes in its own pan first
Sixty grams of chopped raw chicken needs a few minutes and a decent heat. Eggs need neither. Trying to do both in the same pan at the same time gives you either overcooked egg or undercooked chicken.
So the chicken is seasoned, chopped and sautéed on its own. After two minutes the onion joins it, and the two cook together until the chicken is done through. Then both come out and wait while the egg goes into a second pan.
By the time the filling meets the omelette, everything in it is already cooked. It is only there to be warm and to melt the cheese around it.
Keep it pale
Heat that is too high is the most common problem with an omelette. It browns the outside in seconds while the inside is still liquid, and a browned omelette has a different texture: firmer, drier, closer to a fried egg.
Moderate heat, and enough oil to stop it sticking. Tilt the pan when you pour the egg in so it spreads to the edges on its own rather than being pushed around with a spoon.
The fold
The filling goes on one half only: the chicken and onion first, then the pieces of cheese scattered over them. Once the base has set again, the empty half folds over the top to make a half-moon.
Then it slides onto the plate and the parmesan is grated over the top, where the heat of the omelette softens it without melting it into the filling.
More egg dishes
- Huevos pericos — the Colombian breakfast scramble.
- Spinach and egg tortilla — the thicker, slower kind.
- Fried eggs — when two minutes is too long.
- Boiled eggs — timings for every stage of yolk.
Omelette FAQ
Two minutes a side for a two-egg omelette in a skillet over moderate heat. The base is ready to turn when it slides in the pan instead of sticking to it, which is a better signal than the clock.
Because 60 grams of raw chicken takes longer than two minutes and the egg cannot wait for it. The chicken and onion are sautéed first in their own pan, set aside, and added to the omelette at the end.
The 20 grams of cheese goes inside, with the chicken, and melts. The 15 grams of parmesan is grated over the top at the end and does not. They are doing different jobs.
Only until the yolk and white are combined. Beating longer works air into them, which gives a puffed omelette that collapses on the plate.
The heat is too high. An omelette should be pale. High heat colours the outside before the inside has set, and the pan needs to be hot enough to set the egg on contact but no hotter.
Both, in this recipe. It is turned once to cook the second side, then the filling goes on one half and the other half is folded over it into a half-moon.
No. A Spanish tortilla is a thick potato and egg cake cooked slowly and served in wedges. This is a folded omelette, which in Colombia is also called tortilla de huevo, and it takes ten minutes.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 60 g chicken (chopped and seasoned)
- 20 g onion (chopped)
- 20 g cheese (in pieces, for the filling)
- 2 eggs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 15 g parmesan cheese (grated, for the top)
- 1 tablespoon oil
Notas
Instructions
- Heat a little of the oil in a skillet and sauté the chicken, chopped and seasoned beforehand. After two minutes add the onion and cook both together until the chicken is done through. Take them out and set them aside.
- Put the rest of the oil in a second pan over the heat. Meanwhile, break the two eggs into a bowl, season with salt and pepper and beat them.
- When the oil is hot, pour in the beaten egg and tilt the pan so it spreads evenly and covers the whole base.
- Cook for two minutes, or until the base is set, then turn the omelette with a spatula to cook the other side.
- Add the chicken and onion to one half of the omelette, scatter the cheese over them, and once the base is set again fold the empty half over the filling to make a half-moon.
- Slide it onto a plate and grate the parmesan over the top.
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