Crispy Chicken Cutlets w/ Two Bright & Herby Salads

A childhood classic (at least for me) with an appropriate seasonal twist...

We officially breaking out of our vegetarian streak & starting with panko-crusted Crispy Chicken Cutlets, one of my childhood favorites. I usually associate these with more of a wintery vibe since they're classically paired with spaghetti & red sauce. However, since we're approaching summer, I thought it would be more appropriate to pair this with a couple of light & bright herby salads.

What You’ll Need:

• mandolin slicer (if you have one, if not just use a knife)

• cutting board

• 3 bowls or small baking trays

• 2 sheets of parchment paper

• meat tenderizer (or heavy bottom pan/pot)

• 1 baking tray or large plate

• drying rack for excess oil (or a paper towel lined plate)

• kitchen tongs

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally

• 1 fennel bulb , sliced thin

• 1 lemon, sliced

• 1 shallot, sliced thin

• 1 cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

• 1 cup mint, roughly chopped

• 4 small beets, quartered (sliced in half then half again)

  • I prefer buying pre-cooked beets

• 1/3 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped

• feta crumbles (however much makes you feel happy)

• 1 1/4 cup avocado oil

Salad Dressing:

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 shakes of red wine vinegar (2 tsp ish)

• salt & pepper to taste

• 2 cloves garlic, minced into a paste

Dredging Liquid:

• 1 cup Japanese panko

  • season with garlic powder, salt, pepper & Italian seasoning

• 2 eggs beaten

• 1 cup all purpose flour

Directions:

1. Prepare your dredging station & set aside

2. Lay a piece of parchment paper on your cutting board & evenly lay sliced chicken breasts over top. Cover the chicken with another piece of parchment so that that chicken is sandwiched between the 2 sheets.

   1. TIP - doing this on a cutting board ensures that you won’t be banging the surface of your kitchen countertop, a.k.a potentially breaking it

3. Using your meat tenderizer, pound the chicken breasts until they are less than an inch thick

4. Dredging Station:

   1. Make sure you establish a ‘wet’ hand & a ‘dry’ hand (trust me, it’ll avoid a lot of mess)

   2. One at a time, using your dry hand, coat the chicken breast with flour, then egg (wet hand) then into the panko (dry hand)

   3. press the panko into the chicken breast to ensure everything is fully coated

   4. continue this process until all chicken breasts are coated

5. In a large pan, heat up avocado oil to about 350 degrees

   1. if you don’t have a thermometer (like me) test the oil’s heat with a small piece of panko - if the panko starts to sizzle & fry, the oil is ready!

6. Once your oil is hot, lay 1-2 chicken breasts into the pan with tongs

   1. NOTE - when adding the chicken to the pan, make sure to lay it into the pan gently & away from YOU, this avoids any hot oil splatter (I learned this the hard way)

7. Fry for about 2-3 minutes per side then set onto the drying rack

   1. Immediately season with flakey salt while on the drying rack

8. While the chicken is cooling, prepare your salads

9. Bright & Herby Salads

   1. In a small bowl, add fennel, shallot, parsley, mint, 1/2 of your dill, dressing & toss.

   2. in a separate bowl, add beets, feta, & remaining dill & toss then set aside

Assembly:

1. Grab your favorite plate

2. slice the chicken cutlets however you want (I prefer strips)

3. plate with both salads & add a lemon wedge to add extra brightness

ENJOY! :)

Full video walk-through on YouTube!