A Mid-Summer Cook's Delight
My secrets to a PERFECT chicken milanese
It’s been a minute! Despite the delay in a newletter update, there HAS been a lot of cooking happening around here. It’s the time of the year when it feels sacrilegious to eat a meal without representing at least one seasonal produce item. Mid-July in Ohio means corn season is in full force, and our tomatoes have begun to make their appearance. I just bought my first sun golds this week, and I’m learning they are the summer ramps (IYKYK). An unexpected perk to moving to Ohio was learning it's a bit warmer here than in Chicago, and seasons start earlier (hello shorter Winter, hello earlier Summer).
As I said, lots of corn and tomatoes as of late!
Let’s talk chicken milanese (aka breaded chicken cutlet). There’s something really delicious about a perfectly golden, crunchy piece of chicken, begging to be eaten with a cold, refreshing side (in this case, corn salad).
There are a few tips that will ensure your chicken is moist, flavorful, and, most importantly, golden and crispy.
Tip #1: Start with a thin piece of chicken. Take your overly thick chicken breast and slice it across the middle (the equator) so that you have two halves. Then pound out each breast with a meat mallet or frying pan so each are nice and thin.
Tip #2: Brine your chicken before you coat it. I started brining my chicken, thanks to
and I’ll never go back to my old ways. Brining breaks down the chicken and makes it much more moist, especially if you’re using a chicken breast, not thighs. I let my chicken sit in buttermilk (there’s a reason Samin Nosrat published a buttermilk chicken in Salt Fat Acid Heat) for about 30 or so minutes while I made my corn salad. It really is worth it.Tip #3: Get a good dredging station set up —Set up three stations: 1. flour 2. beaten eggs 3. a mixture of panko, parmesan cheese, and sesame seeds. Take your chicken out of the buttermilk, letting the excess drip off, then coat it in flour, eggs, and panko, in that order.
Tip #4: Use enough oil in your frying pan to reach midway through your chicken. If you aren’t getting an even golden color when you fry your chicken, you probably aren’t using enough oil.
Tip #5: Season as soon as those bad boys come out of the pan. Set each on a cooling rack, get out your fancy, flaking seasoning salt (like Maldon), and season while your cutlets are piping hot. Finish with a squeeze of lemon before eating.
Who’s going to test out my tips at home?? Tag me on Instagram @grazen_table if you do!
