Perfect Balance of Fried & Fresh!
A crisp salad paired with a crunchy breaded chicken cutlet drizzled with a fresh and herby dressing. A perfect balance of fried and fresh.
Salads are one of my favorite things to eat, and this crisp version is filled with peppery radishes, crunchy cucumbers, al dente green beans, and sweet sugar snap peas. I love the addition of the buttery richness of boiled baby new potatoes – they add a variation in texture and absorb the flavors of the vinaigrette really well. This salad is a perfect side salad to any meal.
The drizzle of the herbaceous vinaigrette adds yet another layer of deliciousness. Currently, this is my favorite vinaigrette, and I’ve been making it often. It uses enough herbs to give you that taste of a summer garden and the Limoncello vinegar and Basil oil are just an amazing combination. It is also a great way to use up some leftover herbs that are a little past their prime.
The chicken is savory and flavorful due to the addition of seasonings to the breadcrumbs and these cutlets cook up golden and crispy especially if you use the home-made breadcrumbs recipe in the Chef Tip at the end of the recipe. BE BRAVE, and make these home-made breadcrumbs to use for this recipe and others. Believe me, the taste and texture are worth it.
Happy Cooking!
Crispy Chicken Cutlets with an Herb Vinaigrette Salad
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
½ cup O&V Basil EVOO *
¼ cup O&V Limoncello vinegar *
1 tablespoon EACH chopped parsley, tarragon, chives
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1-2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Salad
12 oz baby new potatoes, boiled
8 oz French green beans, blanched (see Chef Tip)
2 ½ cups Romaine or Spring greens
4 oz sugar snap peas, sliced diagonally
3 vine-ripened tomatoes, deseeded, and chopped
1 small cucumber sliced
3 radishes, sliced and chilled in ice water
Lemon wedges
Chicken
4 (6-oz) chicken breast cutlets
½ – 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
½ to ¾ cup flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 teaspoon O&V Tuscan Dipper spice mix *
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs, Gluten Free Panko crumbs, or homemade breadcrumbs (see Chef Tip)
3-4 tablespoons O&V Unflavored EVOO *
Preparation
Prepare the vinaigrette by processing all the ingredients of the vinaigrette in a mini food processor until almost completely smooth. A few herb and garlic pieces may remain. Set aside
Prepare the salad components. Boil the potatoes until fork tender, remove, cool enough to handle, and cut into ¼ inch slices. While the potatoes are still warm, toss gently with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, and set aside in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Slice the remaining salad ingredients, and blanch the green beans (See Chef Tip).
Pat the chicken cutlets dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides of each cutlet with the pepper and half the salt. In a wide shallow dish whisk the egg with a remaining salt. Place the flour on a large piece of parchment paper. On a separate piece of parchment paper place the breadcrumbs (Panko or home-made). Combine the breadcrumbs with the garlic powder, red chili flakes, minced parsley and Tuscan dipping spice.
Bread the cutlets by dredging in flour first, then dip in the egg mixture and finally in the breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere the crumbs to the chicken surface.
Heat the EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add breaded cutlets to the hot oil, and cook until golden brown and chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and keep warm.
Toss the salad components, including the potatoes and green beans with ½ cup of the vinaigrette in a large bowl. Divide the dressed salad among 4 plates. Add a chicken cutlet. Drizzle the chicken cutlet with half tablespoon of vinaigrette and serve with a lemon wedge.
Serves 4
Total time 40 minutes
Notes
* The Basil EVOO is one of my favorites, adding another layer of herby flavor to this vinaigrette. You can replace with an unflavored oil and extra herbs. The Limoncello vinegar adds nice citrus notes as well as some sweetness that balances the vinaigrette perfectly. You can add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and a ¼ teaspoon of sugar instead.
* The Tuscan Dipper seasoning mix is my go-to for seasoning breadcrumbs for almost anything. It adds great flavor with minimal effort. Substitute if needed with another high-quality Italian herb mix.
Chef Tip
Blanching
Blanching results in crisp al dente green beans with a bright green color.
To blanch green beans, bring a large pot of salty water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water.
Add the beans and cook for 1-2 minutes, drain and plunge into the ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. Drain after a few minutes and pat dry
Home-made Breadcrumbs
While I enjoy the convenience of store-bought Panko crumbs, I love the taste and texture of home-made ones. Here is my recipe, which I make in large quantities (sometimes a whole loaf) and freeze so I always have some available for breading or topping a casserole.
1 Ciabatta loaf (or leftovers of a similar bread)
Cut bread (with crust) into cubes, and place in a food processor. Working in batches (don’t overfill the bowl), pulse to create crumbs. They will be different sizes from powdery to pea-size – which creates great texture. Uniformity is not the goal here.
Dry the crumbs on a baking sheet for 10-15 minutes in a 200F oven until dried out but not toasted.
Freeze extra crumbs (before adding any seasoning) in a resealable bag for future use.
Categories: Entrees, Soups & Salads, Poultry, Gluten-Free Option, Dairy-Free, Unflavored EVOO, Basil EVOO, Limoncello Vinegar, Tuscan Dipper, Crispy Chicken, Herby Salad, Radish, Baby Potato, Green Beans, Sugar Snap Peas, Seasoned Breadcrumbs, Home-Made Bread Crumbs, Blanching, Weeknight Meal, Mediterranean Diet, Making a Vinaigrette
