By Susan Selasky
Detroit Free Press
Many recipes call for chicken cutlets, those versatile, thin boneless chicken breasts that cook quickly and often are breaded and sauteed. Sometimes called "paillard," they also are great if you want to top them with other ingredients, roll them up and then saute them.
To get the breasts very thin, pound them with a mallet. Or for neat cuts, just slice breasts in half horizontally.
Start out with chicken breasts from which the tenders (the long, narrow piece under the breast) have been removed. Stick the breasts in the freezer for about 30 minutes; they'll be easier to slice.
Place the breasts on a clean work surface. Slice the breasts in half horizontally, starting at the thickest end, working away from you.
If you prefer pounding the chicken breast, place it (tender removed) between sheets of plastic or waxed paper.
With a meat mallet or a rolling pin, pound the chicken breast to the desired thickness.
Today's recipe was prompted by having lots of leftover matzo from Passover. Crushed matzos are mixed with some fresh herbs, nuts and seasonings. The chicken cutlets are brushed with melted apricot preserves, which helps the matzo to adhere, then pan-sauteed.
CHICKEN CUTLETS WITH MATZO HERBED CRUST
Pound the chicken breasts to 1/4-inch thick or cut in half horizontally so you have 2 even pieces. Brush both sides of the chicken cutlets with the honey or preserves and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. In a shallow dish, combine the crushed matzo, parsley, nuts, sea salt, pepper and paprika. In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Dredge the chicken cutlets in the matzo mixture, pressing the mixture to adhere. Place in the skillet and fry until golden on each side and the chicken is cooked through, about 6-8 minutes, depending on the thickness. Remove from the skillet and keep warm.
In the same skillet, add zucchini and saute about 2 minutes, then add tomatoes and saute briefly just until they begin to soften. Place the chicken on serving plates and top with the sauteed zucchini and tomatoes.
From and tested by Susan Selasky for the Detroit Free Press Test Kitchen.
Makes 4 servings.
If you have a whole chicken, you can create many meals for two from one cooking session:
Use chicken breasts for the recipe above (cut in half); then roast the rest of the chicken and shred, cube or chop it and place it in plastic bags or containers to refrigerate or freeze.
First, brine the chicken in a large stockpot, refrigerated, overnight, for the most moist texture. For the brine, you need 2 gallons water to 1 cup kosher or other uniodized salt and 1 cup sugar. Pour off brine, pat chicken dry; season with salt and pepper inside cavity and cut the top off one whole head of garlic and place garlic inside cavity. Mix 5 tablespoons softened butter with 2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, parsley and/or tarragon, and one whole head of garlic.
Slather chicken with herb butter, carefully tucking some of it under the breast skin. Roast at 350 degrees 1 hour and 10 minutes; then increase heat to 400 degrees and finish to golden brown for 20 minutes.
