These thin pieces of chicken cook quickly and evenly, compared to full-sized breasts, and are perfect for searing, breading, and frying. We'll show you how to turn chicken breasts into chicken cutlets for quick and easy cooking.
What Are Chicken Cutlets?
A chicken cutlet is simply a chicken breast that has been cut in half horizontally to make two thinner pieces. Often, the cutlet is also pounded out to make it even thinner so it cooks even quicker and more evenly.
Why go through the trouble of cutting chicken breasts into cutlets? Take a look at the chicken breasts in the photo above. You'll see that they have a thick end and a thin end. The difference in the thickness means one end will be cooked while the other end is still raw inside. But by making cutlets, you have greater control over how evenly the chicken will cook and the better your dish will turn out.
How to Slice Chicken Breasts Into Cutlets
The trickiest part of the whole process is cutting the breast in half horizontally. To make the job easier, be sure you use a sharp knife: this will help cut, and not tear, the chicken. Don't worry if you make a few mistakes along the way. Practice makes perfect.
Tip for Success: Try freezing the chicken breast for ten to 15 minutes before preparing, to make slicing easier.
The first step is to carefully slice the breast in half horizontally. Remove the chicken tender if it's still attached (it's the small piece of chicken loosely attached to the underside of the chicken breast) and place the breast on a cutting board. Hold the breast flat with the palm of your hand, and using your sharp knife, carefully slice through the center horizontally (parallel to the cutting board). Sometimes it's necessary to open the chicken like a book and make one final cut to separate the two halves.
Tip for Success: Placing the chicken close to the edge of your cutting board makes the slicing easier.
2. Pound It Out
After you cut a chicken breast into cutlets, the next step is to flatten the cutlets to an even thickness. It's easy to do and takes only a minute or two.
Place the cutlets between two sheets of plastic wrap, or inside a sealable plastic bag. Spread the plastic tight, so it doesn't get pounded into the meat and you don't have unsightly wrinkles.
Using the smooth side of a meat mallet, a rolling pin, a small skillet, or even the palm of your hand, gently pound the cutlets into even thickness, about ¼-inch-thick. This allows the chicken cook quickly and evenly. Take your time so that you don't make any holes in your cutlets.
Tip for Success: Instead of pounding in an up-and-down motion, try using slight sideways movements to gently flatten the chicken. Work from the center out.
3. How to Cook Chicken Cutlets
This recipe for Simple Chicken Parmesan is a good example of how to use chicken cutlets in recipes.
Traditionally made with veal, Sandy's Chicken Saltimbocca uses chicken cutlets wrapped in sage leaves and prosciutto. Serve this alongside sautéed green beans, mashed potatoes, or noodles.
Chicken Katsu is a Japanese-style fried chicken. Served with special tonkatsu sauce, this crisp chicken is a hit with kids. Serve it alongside steamed white or brown rice and some pickled cucumbers.
A favorite from Germany, this healthier oven-friendly version of Chicken Schnitzel uses less oil. Before making your schnitzel, whip up a batch of spaetzle or German potato salad.
Chicken Marsala is a classic dish that's perfect for unexpected company. Chicken cutlets are lightly coated and simmered alongside mushrooms in a Marsala wine sauce. For a creamier sauce, add a splash of heavy cream or half-and-half.
A chicken cutlet is simply a boneless skinless chicken breast that has been cut in half horizontally. Sometimes they're pounded with a meat pounder to make them thinner and more even. Chicken breasts usually take about 15 minutes to cook through on the stove.
A chicken cutlet is simply a boneless skinless chicken breast that has been cut in half horizontally. Sometimes they're pounded with a meat pounder to make them thinner and more even. Chicken breasts usually take about 15 minutes to cook through on the stove.
Dip each breast into the flour, then shake off the excess. Next, run the breast through the egg to coat it lightly and hold the chicken over the liquid to let any excess fall back into the bowl. Finally, lay the chicken in the bread crumbs, turn it over and press it into the breading to coat.
What is the difference between thin sliced chicken breast and chicken cutlets? They are essentially the same thing! Chicken cutlets are boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been sliced to create a thinner piece of meat.
Overcooking chicken and buying woody chicken breast are two of the main causes behind rubbery chicken. You can stop this from happening by: buying “slow-growing” chicken. cooking your chicken in moisture.
Place the breaded chicken on a cooling rack (or a platter) and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This cooling time will help the layers of breading ingredients solidify and adhere better after the chicken cooks. Once you start cooking the chicken, be patient and don't flip it over too early.
Tips for the best crispy chicken cutlets: Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding the chicken. Use the back of a wooden spoon and place into heated oil, if bubbles appear around the wood then the oil is hot enough, if no bubbles then keep heating the oil before adding the chicken. Don't overcrowd the pan.
Why You Should Butterfly a Chicken Breast. Butterflying a chicken breast gives you thinner, more even pieces that will cook quicker and more evenly. It also allows you to easily pound the meat to a very even thickness. Prepared this way, the split and pounded chicken breasts are called paillards.
A thin layer of flour helps the beaten egg stick, and the egg is what makes the outer layer of breadcrumbs stick to the chicken. Always Start With the Flour: When breading chicken, you should always start with a layer of flour.
Editor: One option is just dipping the fish or chicken breast in melted butter before rolling it in the spices or coating, like we did in this Blackened Chicken recipe. You could also try milk or yogurt. For heavier coatings (like panko or breadcrumbs), you might dust the fish with flour first.
Fried chicken tastes fantastic with a batter or a flour coating. It's simply a matter of preference. Flour coatings like the one used in this fried chicken recipe combine flour with spices, and they sometimes add cornstarch or baking powder to the mix.
But, when cooking chicken breasts in place of thighs, you may need to add some additional fat to the pan to make up for the lower fat content. Usually, oil or butter is an excellent choice to get the job done. But beyond these considerations, a chicken breast for chicken thigh swap shouldn't cause you many problems.
You can even use them interchangeably in pretty much any type of chicken recipe. The thing that really sets the breast and tenderloin apart is that chicken tenders have a higher fat and sodium content. Even still, they're both lean and healthy white meat options that can adapt to many flavor profiles.
The breast can also be broken down further and the tenderloins (fillets) removed. The portion without the tenderloin can be split and pounded into a thin cutlet known as a paillard. Figure 31 shows the chicken breast whole and with the fillets removed from the bottom portion.
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