cutlets & creamy lemon couscous
dream summer meal
this dish came to me in a dream. by dream I mean I was laying on the couch, it was raining and I was craving something cozy.
naturally, chicken cutlets and mashed potatoes came to mind - it felt like the perfect meal at the time. but shortly thereafter…….the rain cleared up and it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. and something about me is I eat with the weather (most of the time, and this doesn’t really apply to soup because I can eat soup whenever I feel like it)
ANYWAY stop getting me sidetracked - moral of the story, I needed to switch the mashed potatoes for something more summer appropriate, and add in a seasonal vegetable perhaps. my cozy cutlets needed a summer revamp now, you know what I mean?
so I made the executive decision to move forward with a creamy lemon couscous and tomato salad. this would be the perfect base for my crispy cutlets and still provide me with the comforting factor I was looking for!!!! I’m a genius!!!!
and if you’re reading this wondering why I couldn’t just eat the mashed potatoes, well clearly you don’t understand me as that just wasn’t in the cards anymore. I still ate in on the couch though.
this meal is perfect to me & I hope you make it :*
chicken cutlets:
- I really can’t be bothered to use flour half the time, but if you want to, feel free to dredge in flour prior to egg!
- I like the combined texture of italian + panko breadcrumbs but if you only have one on hand, that’s entirely ok. I also like to add sesame seeds to the crumbs.
1.5 lbs whole boneless chicken breast
1.5 cups panko breadcrumbs
1.5 cups italian breadcrumbs
3 eggs
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/3 cup parm (sometimes I skip it if I’m lazy)
1/2 lemon, zested
salt + freshly cracked black pepper to taste
avocado or neutral oil of choice for frying
for the cutlets: if using whole breasts, place cutlets on a large cutting board. place your hand on top of one breast at a time, and with a sharp knife, slice through the cutlet horizontally to reveal 2 breast halves. if you can finesse 3 cutlets from one breast, go for it.
cover the cutlets with a piece of plastic wrap (or use a ziploc if you’re scared about flying chicken! <3) and pound the chicken with a mallet or whatever your pounder of choice is. aim for a nice even 1/4” across the cutlet.
to one shallow dish, add the breadcrumbs, lemon zest, parm, half the seasoning and some salt + pepper. to another shallow dish, add the eggs, mustard, salt + pepper and other half of the seasoning.
using one hand (wet hand), dip each cutlet in the egg, letting the excess drip off, then place into the breadcrumb mix. use your other hand (dry hand) to cover the top of the cutlet in crumbs, then firmly press the cutlet until fully coated on both sides. transfer to a large plate and continue breading the rest of the cutlets.
I like to to let my cutlets rest at room temp once breaded for about 15 minute prior to frying. I think they fry more evenly and the coating sticks better, especially when not using flour!
in a large heavy bottomed pan, pour oil to 1/4” high. heat over medium high heat until shimmering - the ideal temp is 350 F if you have a thermometer but you can also use the tip of a cutlet to see if it’s nicely sizzling.
carefully add one cutlet at a time into the oil. don’t overcrowd the pan, usually a standard pan fits 2 cutlets. fry on each side for about 3 minutes, moving them around occasionally, until deeply golden brown around the edges.
flip, cooking on the other side for another 3 minutes until golden brown. transfer to a wire rack or paper towel lined plate. sprinkle with flaky salt. continue frying the rest of the cutlets, adding more oil if needed.
lemon couscous
1.5 cup pearl cous cous
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups water
1 cup chicken stock
4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup freshly grated parm
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
kosher salt + lots of freshly cracked black pepper
set a saucepan over medium heat. add the oil and once hot, add the couscous. lightly toast for 2-3 minutes. add the broth and water with a pinch of salt, cooking over medium heat until al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed. there will be excess remaining.
turn the heat down to low and add 2 tablespoons of butter, stirring with a wooden spoon until melted. stir in the lemon juice.
turn off heat. stir in the parm and lemon zest, then vigorously mix in the last 2 tablespoons of butter to give it a velvety finish. season with a shiz ton of black pepper and taste for salt. it continues to firm up as it cools so don’t fear it being on the looser side. cover with a lid until ready to serve and if needed, add a splash more of broth to reheat and loosen before plating.
tomato salad:
this requires no recipe, but I will give you some direction. cut 3 of your finest heirloom tomatoes into chunks. I like to cut them on a bias for different texture in each bite. season with salt, pepper, fresh thyme leaves, white sesame seeds, a squeeze of lemon, a generous amount of awesome olive oil and a dash of champagne/white balsamic vinegar. fuckin perfffffect. toss to combine and let sit for 5-10 minutes to soak in it’s glory.
PLATE UP!!!!!!!!
spoon couscous onto a plate. place a beautiful cutlet a top the small mountain of couscous. finish with a few scoops of fresh tomato salad on the side. freshly grate a thin blanket of parm over your cutlet and enjoy your life. I wish I was eating this rn.
enjoy your sunday y’all :’) hope you try this - tag me if you do!
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xoxo, katie