Sesame-crusted chicken cutlets and cucumber snap pea salad with peanut dressing
THE dish for spring.
Ingredients:
For the salad-
5-7 Persian cucumbers, sliced into one-inch pieces, I roll cut
8 oz bag of sugar snap peas, sliced thinly on a bias
1 bunch of scallions, sliced thinly on a bias
1/2 a bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
optional: 1/4 of a serrano pepper, finely chopped
For the peanut dressing-
1.5 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
3 tbsp coconut aminos
5 tbsp avocado oil
.5 tbsp toasted sesame oil
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp peanut butter
3-6 tbsp water
For the chicken-
there’s really no measurements here I just eyeball a standard breading procedure.. but I used
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Aleias plain gluten-free breadcrumbs
Jeff Nathan Creations gluten-free panko
a few tbsp of sesame seeds
2 eggs
avocado oil
Method:
For the salad-
chop and combine salad ingredients
mix dressing ingredients and add water to thin out the dressing as needed, judge by taste
For the chicken-
slice your chicken into thin cutlets, for a larger breast I like to get 3 pieces but for a smaller one, 2 works
one piece at a time, place the chicken into a plastic bag or between two sheets of saran wrap and use a meat mallet to pound the chicken into thin and even cutlets
then bread the cutlets starting with the flour, then to the egg, then to the bread crumb and sesame seed mixture
for even coating throughout, make sure that each piece of chicken is evenly coated during each step. if a spot on the cutlet doesn’t get coated in flour, neither the egg nor the breadcrumbs will stick properly.
heat avocado oil in a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. you can test the oil by sprinkling in a few bread crumbs to see if the oil is up to temp.
fry the cutlets for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. use a large metal spoon to baste the cutlets with the hot oil for even cooking and browning.
season the cutlets with kosher salt the second they leave the pan and transfer them to a sheet pan lined with a wire rack to prevent the bottoms from getting soggy.
To serve-
toss the salad with the dressing, serve with a cutlet, and enjoy!
Cutlet tips summarized:
-use super cold chicken breasts and a sharp knife
-3 slices for a large breast and 3 slices for a small breast
-use a plastic bag when tenderizing the chicken with a meat mallet for an easy clean cup
-don’t season your flour, egg wash, or breadcrumbs with salt before breading, the salt will add too much moisture to the crust, only salt afterward
-make sure that each piece is coated with flour so that everything else sticks
-using enough regular breadcrumbs is key, 100% panko leads to patches of uneven browning
-baste when you fry for even cooking and browning
-use a fork to flip your cutlets
-transfer the cutlets to a wire rack-lined baking sheet to prevent soggy cutlet bottoms