Breaded Chicken Cutlets

Fried, breaded cutlets are one of my favorite dishes and I make them often. They’re quick to fry up and are delicious. If you’ve been a fan of this site for a while, you’ll remember I’ve shown you chicken cutlets before, but it was in a cookoff video so it’s easy to miss. Now here are my chicken cutlets all on their own.

I making chicken cutlets here but I also make veal, pork, beef, and, yes, even tofu cutlets depending on my mood or who’s at my table. Who doesn’t eat veal? Who doesn’t eat meat? Who does eat…oh boy! I try to satisfy them all and the basic recipe is really versatile. Just sub out the protein, make sure it’s cooked through and you’re good to go.

Veal cutlets were originally from Milan in Lombardia where they’ve been making veal cutlets (cotoletto alla Milanese) for centuries. The cutlet is typically made with a veal bone-in chop. The meat is pounded thin, breaded and fried in butter with fresh sage. It’s a big cutlet called “orecchia d’elefante” because it looks like an elephant’s ear.

Today there are many boneless variations of the original throughout Italia and here in America.

I make cutlets the way my mother made her veal cutlets, more in a style I’ve found in Naples and environs, tender cutlets in a savory egg wash, coated with breadcrumbs and fried to a delicate but crispy golden brown. They’re great on their own or with a squeeze of lemon if you like a pop of acidity.

As a bonus to satisfy my niece,  I prepared a couple of the cutlets alla parmigiana (aka chicken parmesan), with a topping of marinara, mozzarella and grated parmigiano quickly finished under the broiler.

Oh, and all that egg wash you didn’t use for breading the cutlets? Cook it in a pan with some hot oil and it’s a tasty nibble. You can even toast some of the leftover breadcrumbs first and toss those in with the eggs as they cook for some added texture and full ingredient utilization. You don’t like to waste, right?

Breaded Chicken Cutlets

Ingredients

• 1 pound thin chicken scallopine or cutlets, pounded thin
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat parsley, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons canola oil (or your favorite)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)

Instructions

1. Place the flour and the breadcrumbs on separate large plates or in bowls.
2. Place the eggs in a bowl and beat well.
3. Add the pecorino, parsley, salt and pepper and mix well.
4. Dredge the cutlets in flour. Pat the cutlet to shake off excess flour.
5. Dip the floured cutlet in the egg-wash to coat well on both sides. Let any excess egg wash drip off.
6. Put the egg-washed cutlet on the breadcrumbs. Coat both sides. Lightly press with your fingers to adhere the breadcrumbs to the cutlet.
7. Set the breaded cutlets aside.
8. Put both oils and the butter in a cast-iron pan or a skillet and heat until the oil begins to  ripple.
9. Fry the cutlet on each side until they are golden brown.
10. Drain well on paper towel.
11. Serve warm with a wedge of lemon

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

• 28-ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes, squashed by hand
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed & peeled
• 1 large sprig of fresh basil for the sauce and more as a garnish
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

1. Put the San Marzano tomatoes in a large bowl and crush them into small pieces with you hands. (For a smother sauce pass the tomatoes through a food mill.)
2. Put a pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and garlic until the garlic starts to take on color.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pot and add sea salt to taste.
4. Add the fresh basil sprig and dried oregano. Stir well.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the sauce gently simmer. Stir occasionally.
6. You want the sauce to thicken, reduced in volume by about a third.

Chicken Cutlets alla Parmigiana

Ingredient

Parmigiano reggiano, grated

Instructions

1. Turn the broiler to high.
2. Put the cutlets on a baking sheet.
3. Top each cutlet with one or two tablespoons of the marinara sauce. Don’t use too much or the cutlet will get soggy but you want a thin coat of the sauce over the entire cutlet.
4. Sprinkle a thin layer of parmigiano on top of the sauce.
5. Cover the cutlet with thinly sliced mozzarella.
6. Sprinkle more grated parmigiano on top of the mozzarella.
7. Put the pan about 3 inches below the broiler and melt the cheese until it takes on some toasty color, about 2 or 3 minutes.
8. Remove the pan from the oven and place the cutlets on a plate.
9. Serve immediately.