Chicken Cutlets

This is one of the first things I learned to make when I moved out to the desert. After years of watching Lala (my sister) make this, it was the least intimidating place to start my culinary adventures. It was always so much fun watching her get her fingers all goppy while putting the cutlets in the flour, egg and bread crumbs.

Funny thing is...all this time I had no idea I've been making something so fancy...I just called this chicken cutlets. Tyler Florence educated me while watching his Ultimate show. This dish is actually called Chicken Paillard.

Ingredients

1/3 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil)

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)

2 cups flour

S&P

3 eggs

1-2 dashes hot sauce

2 cups bread crumbs

1 cup parmigiano reggiano fresh grated

Directions

One at a time, put the cutlets in a gallon size ziplock bag. Pound each cutlet out - going from center out. They should end up about 1/4 inch thick.

Put the flour with S&P in a pie tin, beat the eggs and add hot sauce in another tin, and in another tin add the bread crumbs. One at a time, dredge the cutlets in the flour. Be sure to get them fully covered and shake off the excess. Then coat them in the egg mixture, again, shaking off the excess. Last, coat them in the bread crumbs. Hint: I keep a little bowl of warm water to the side. I use it to wash off my fingers between cutlets. This addresses the goppy finger problem.

Heat the oil in a large skillet.. Fry the cutlets about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

I serve this with roasted potatoes and asparagus. It's easy...just cut up some red potatoes and coat with extra virgin olive oil, chopped fresh rosemary, fresh grated parmigiano reggiano, S&P. Do the same for the asparagus. Put potatoes on a baking sheet and the asparagus on a separate one. Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes. Put the asparagus in about 25 minutes before the potatoes are done.