Crisp Chicken Cutlets

"April Potluck", the theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). Free and easy theme, we get to cook and select any recipes from any of IHCC's past and present chefs. I've decided to cook one of Nigella Lawson's chicken recipes for our Sunday night dinner. One thing I like about Nigella's recipes are her chicken recipes!

Chicken breast fillet is first flattened (I use a meat mallet) between two sheets of plastic, to a thin piece, then soaked in a mixture of buttermilk and Worcestershire sauce. I did not have any buttermilk, so I've used milk mixed with 1 tablespoon lime juice, stir and let sit for 5 minutes before use. I soaked the chicken breast fillet for about 4 hours, keeping them covered in a shallow container in the fridge.

Just before frying the cutlets, prepare the crumb mixture by mixing breadcrumbs (which I've used Panko), grated Parmesan cheese, celery salt, cayenne powder and dried thyme in a large shallow plate. I fry the cutlets just before serving time. Lift the chicken pieces out of the buttermilk mixture and place them on the crumb mixture, coating both sides of the cutlet. Heat some oil, about 1/4 inch, in a large saucepan, and fry the chicken cutlets on both sides over medium-low heat, until brown and cooked. Drain on absorbent paper towels and serve immediately.

I fried a small piece of the cutlet to test on the seasoning before frying the rest of the cutlets, and find that I needed to add a little bit more of celery salt and the dried thymes, to the crumb mixture, to taste.

I thought that the Crisp Chicken Cutlet from the photo above looks like a piece of toasted bread! LOL!

I served these cutlets with a simple green salad and some potato salad.

Sprinkle some fresh thyme over the cutlets, as I did not have any parsley.

This meal is a total winner! The chicken cutlet is crispy on the outside, with moist and tender meat after soaking in the buttermilk for a few hours. Tasty and delicious! We enjoyed this meal and I would make this again!

Crisp Chicken Cutlets
(adapted from "Nigella Kitchen", Nigella Lawson)
Serves 4
4 chicken breast fillets, skinless and boneless
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (such as Lea & Perrins)
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (I use Panko breacrumbs)
1 teaspoon celery salt, or 1/2 teaspoon for younger children (I used about 1-1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme (I used 2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
oil for frying, such as peanut
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (replaced with fresh thyme)

1. Unroll a piece of plastic wrap, then open out the chicken breasts and lay them on the plastic. Cover the fanned-out chicken breasts with another piece of plastic wrap, and bash with a rolling pin until they are thin, but still whole. (if the underside sections come away, don't worry).
2. Whisk the buttermilk with the Worcestershire sauce in a shallow bowl, or put it into a resealable bag and squish to mix. Then add the flattened chicken pieces to the bowl or bag and leave out for about 30 minutes - or refrigerate overnight if you've got time - to marinate.
3. Preheat the oven to 300F, if you're using a smaller frying pan and want to keep the cutlets warm as you fry them. Mix the breadcrumbs, celery salt, cayenne, thyme, and Parmesan in a wide, shallow dish. Then, once the chicken has had its steeping, lift out the buttermilky pieces and press into the breadcrumbs mixture one at a time.
4. Coat the chicken on both sides with the seasoned crumbs and then lay them on a wire rack, the sort you'd use for cooling cakes.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan - using just enought to coat the base with about 1/4 inch of oil.
6. Once the oil is hot, fry the bigger pieces of chicken for about 3 minutes per side, and the smaller bits from the underside of the breast for about 2 minutes per side. As you remove the cooked pieces of chicken, blot them on paper towels and, if you wish, keep them warm in a low oven (on a cookie sheet) as indicated above, or serve them as you go. However you choose to dish up, serve these crisp chicken cutlets sprinkled with chopped parsley. 

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week "April Potluck"

and

Little Thumbs Up : Chicken, organised by Bake for Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Diana from the Domestic Goddess Wannabe.

and 

Cook-Your-Books #22 @ kitchen flavours