Crispy chicken cutlets
What's more Italian American than crispy, fried chicken cutlets?
Makes
4
Level
Medium with a grown-up
Kids cook with a grown-up. Hot ovens, boiling water and frying are grown-up jobs, and sharp knives need a grown-up’s hands too.
Bella’s job
Bella pounds the chicken thin, breads the cutlets and sets one on a mound of rice.
Ingredients
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: 2 large (about 1 1/2 pounds)
All-purpose flour: 1/2 cup
Eggs: 3 large
Parmigiano Reggiano, grated: 1/4 cup
Plain breadcrumbs: 2 cups
Dried parsley: 1 tablespoon
Salt: 1 teaspoon
Black pepper: 1/2 teaspoon
Vegetable oil for frying: about 1 1/2 cups
Cooked white rice, to serve: 3 cups
Method
Slice each chicken breast in half the long way so you have 4 thin cutlets.
Lay a cutlet between two sheets of plastic wrap. Pound it with a meat mallet to about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with the rest.
Set up three shallow dishes. Put the flour with half the salt and pepper in the first. Beat the eggs with the cheese and the rest of the salt and pepper in the second. Stir the parsley into the breadcrumbs in the third.
Press each cutlet into the flour, shake off the extra, dip it in the egg, then press it into the breadcrumbs until it is well coated.
Pour about 1/2 inch of oil into a wide heavy pan and heat it to 350°F. A grown-up handles the hot oil.
Fry 2 or 3 cutlets at a time for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deep golden and the inside reads 165°F.
Lift the cutlets onto a rack or paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt while they are hot.
Serve with a scoop of white rice.
