buffalo chicken cutlets with a ranchy garlicky 'cheesy' green goddess

+ my tips for frying the perfect cutlet

recipe at the end of today’s newsletter

I did absolutely nothing this past Sunday

besides binge Madam Secretary, my current hyper fixation (probably because a show about a capable, compassionate, well-intentioned American leader is the type of escapism I need rn). My only major accomplishment was ungluing myself from the couch at 5 pm and motivating to the store to pick up ingredients for dinner.

On the 2 mins walk between my apartment and the overpriced bodega-esque grocery store a block away, I decided to go all-out on a dinner that I knew Jack (my fiancé) would die for. He’s my favorite person to cook for, mostly because he genuinely believes each passing meal I cook him (there have been hundreds at this point) is the ‘best thing I’ve ever eaten.’ A giant, thinly pounded, fried-until-crispy chicken cutlet drenched in buffalo sauce, topped with a ranchy salad with crumbled blue cheese and mountain of thinly shaved red onions and scallions is one of the most Jack meals I can think of.

I do this because I obvi love him… but also because I knew his reaction wouldn’t disappoint. And I’m a sucker for flattery :)

before we get into it… let’s chat about how to fry the perfect chicken cutlet, a skill that will bring you much pleasure for the rest of your life

tips for frying the perfect cutlet

• pound your meat. or at the very least, buy it thinly sliced. you want it around 1/4” thick before breading. this will create the perfect ratio between juicy inside and crispy outside.

• season your breading. in this recipe, we’ll use salt and sesame seeds to season the panko and hot sauce to season our eggs. but you can go crazy with adding all different spices, grated cheese, even types of crunch (corn flakes, chips, pretzels) to your breading for max flavor.

• panko > breadcrumbs. I said what I said, breading your cutlet in panko gives a crispier, crunchier final result.

• shake of excess egg and press in panko. We need egg to get the panko to stick, but too much egg will make the cutlet soggy. Shake off excess egg before transferring cutlet to panko, and flip your cutlet back and forth multiple times in the panko, pressing down to get full and even coverage.

• let your cutlets rest. once breaded, let your cutlets hang for 10-15 mins so they dry out. this might be my number 1 tip for improving your crispy cutlet game.

• make sure oil is hot before adding your cutlets… the oil should immediately bubble and sizzle.

• transfer cutlets to a paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil after frying.

Without further ado….

buffalo chicken cutlets with green goddess ranch salad

what you need

for the chicken

• ~1 pound chicken breasts (the bell & evans thinly sliced guys work well, or you can pound yourself)

• 1 c AP flour + more as needed

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 2 tbsp + 1.5-2 c your favorite buffalo sauce (I’m a sucker for Frank’s)

• 2-3 c panko + more as needed

• 1/3 c sesame seeds (optional but recommended)

• 1 tbsp kosher salt

• neutral frying oil (canola or avocado oil for non-seed option, as it has a high smoke point- important for frying!)

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

for the salad

• 3 large heads romaine, chopped and washed

• 6 baby cucumbers, sliced + mixed with 1 tsp salt, and allowed to drain in a colander over sink

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced and rinsed under cold water for 20 secs (takes the oniony bite out)

• 3 scallions, thinly sliced on bias

• 2 celery stalks, sliced on bias

• 1/2 c crumbled blue cheese of choice (do not buy pre crumbled, do it yourself :)

for the dressing (I guestimated quantities… a guide to flavor adjustments is below)

• 1/3 c buttermilk (can sub regular milk)

• 1/4 c greek yogurt

• 1/4 c parsley leaves

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• juice of 1/2 lemon

• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tbsp roughly chopped dill

what you do

if your chicken breasts are not already thinly sliced, pound them by placing each breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and using a mallet or rolling pin to smack the shit of of them. The thinner the better.

prepare 3 plates with following:

1. flour

2. eggs whisked WELL with the 2 tbsp buffalo sauce (no gloopy egg whites)

3. panko, sesame seeds, salt (mixed well)

set them on your counter in that order, with a sheet tray at the end to hold the finished cutlets. dredge cutlets in flour (all sides), followed by egg mixture (shaking off excess egg), followed by panko mixture. Make sure to press panko into the cutlet on all sides for full coverage. The panko is what’s actually going to get crispy in the oil, and therefore we want to pack a lot onto the cutlet. Set cutlet on baking sheet and repeat until all are breaded.

at this point I like to let the cutlets dry out for a bit. if you begin frying right away I find 1) the panko doesn’t stick as well and 2) the cutlets don’t get as crispy. You’ll be able to feel the difference if you wait 15 mins … aka the perfect amount of time to prepare our salad!

prepare veggies as instructed above and set aside. prepare salad dressing by combining all ingredients besides the dill in a food processor or using an immersion blender. Taste and season as needed. Stir in dill after you are finished blending. If you taste and think it needs adjustment… here are a few ideas:

• needs spice/sharpness: add garlic

• tastes bland: add salt or lemon

• needs umami/ savoriness: add nutritional yeast

• too thin: add greek yogurt

• too thick: add buttermilk or milk

once salad ingredients are prepped, fry your cutlets. Add enough oil to a large fry pan until it’s 1/4”- 1/2” deep and heat over medium high until the oil looks to be shimmering. Turn down heat to medium and add chicken cutlets, making sure to lay the cutlet down carefully and away from you to prevent splatters . The oil should immediately bubble and sizzle around the chicken. If the chicken is completely submerged, you’ve got too much oil in the pan, and I recommend carefully pouring some out into a stainless steel bowl. Cook for 2-3 mins until golden brown, then flip and do the same on the other side. Once done, transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Repeat until all cutlets have been fried. *because our chicken is so thin, a few mins per side is plenty to cook it through… use the color of your panko as your cooking guide*

meanwhile, gently heat up buffalo sauce in a sauce pan. once warm, stir in the butter until melted. Transfer to a wide, shallow bowl and dunk your cutlets, turning them to coat fully. Transfer to separate plates for serving.

Toss a few spoonfuls of dressing with the romaine + cucumbers, celery and scallions. Pile on a big handful over your cutlet and scatter red onions and blue cheese over top. Enjoy immediately :)

told you jack’s reaction never disappoints :)

xx,

Maddy