Recipe #10: Chicken Cutlets

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Provided by Nick

Ingredients

  • Chicken Breast Cutlets
  • Bread Crumbs
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2-3 eggs, Basil
  • Oregano
  • Parsley and/or Italian Seasoning (dried is perfect as fresh will likely burn on the skillet)
  • Pecorino Romano Cheese -Grated (optional)
  • Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Sides can be optional – Veg, mac and cheese, roasted potato or mash etc. Be creative! Another solid option for some extra heat is to replace the black pepper with chili flakes

Recipe

First and foremost be sure to take the chicken out of the fridge for at least 20-30 min before you start cooking. Chicken is far too cold and won’t cook properly if it cooks right out of the fridge. This will also cause splash and popping of the chicken due to the hot pan and oil from the moisture in the chicken. It would be best to do the same with the eggs.

Steps in order
– Crack eggs into bowl and whisk well until eggs run right off your whisk or fork (number of eggs will vary depending on how much chicken you intend to make)
– Use either a bowl or plate and dump a decent amount of bread crumbs into it (I prefer a plate) then mix in a little salt and pepper as well as the basil, oregano, and parsley to taste. SIDE NOTE: use less parsley then the basil and oregano. Just want a hint of it
**Warning**** do not use too much of the seasoning as this will over power the chicken. Use your eye for judgment!!
– Once the breadcrumb mixture is ready, put some extra virgin olive oil in a pan and bring it to medium heat
– Take your cutlets, preferably no more than 2 at a time and dip them into the egg wash so they are thoroughly covered. Pull it out and try to let as much excess of egg drip off them and then lay it into the bread crumb mixture making sure to fully coat the chicken with the bread crumbs. ****if you have a lot of excess egg running off the chicken and you start coating it with the breadcrumbs, it will clump up and not stay on the chicken.
– dipping the chicken in the breadcrumbs is really fast so you can essentially throw them on the pan as soon as they are finished or set them aside on a plate and put them all on at once especially if you intend to bake them instead of pan fry.

Additional Notes:
Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken but if you keep it at medium heat as suggested and the chicken is fairly thin, the chicken should cook in about 10 minutes. Try not to touch and move the chicken around too much and try to limit the number of times you flip the chicken. The goal is to make sure the chicken is moist and tender inside with a fairly crispy outside. If your heat is right, you can pretty much use the breadcrumbs as a guideline on when to flip the chicken. Don’t be afraid to take a peek at the outside of the chicken so you don’t accidentally burn them.

If you are not the best in the kitchen and you have a food thermometer, get the chicken to an internal temp of about 160-165 degrees. Any higher and the chicken will likely be a little over cooked and may be a little dryer then you would want.

Hope you like it!!!

Questions can be directed to Chef Nicky Shoes