crispiest chicken cutlets

Whether you call themmilanese, schnitzel or “they’re just big chicken tenders and you like chicken tenders, please try them!”, I absolutely love perfectly seasoned, craggy bread-crumbed, deeply golden, crispy chicken cutlets but I absolutely hate making them. Which, as you can imagine, leads to a bit of an impasse. We’ve bought them at our local grocery store, but I disagree with the store on seasoning, in that I believe in it and they do not. Maybe it’s just that my kitchen counter is small, or maybe I’m just kind of lazy, but I find the whole process interminable: pounding the cutlets if you want them thin, dredging them in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, then frying them, then draining them on endless paper towels or paper bags, then trying to either reuse or dispose of the oil properly, and somehow, after all of this, dinner isn’t made. We still need salad and/or another vegetable. That is me, throwing my hands in the air, 370 days into a global pandemic, wondering why anyone bothers cooking at home. Early in our inside days, my mother in-law, saint that she is, made the kids some breaded crispy cutlets and I expressed this to her — that I love them but there’s step 1, 2, 3… — and she said “flour? No, I don’t use flour.” My MIL jumps right to the egg, then the crumbs, and somehow they’re ever better. Less heavy. Absolutely crunchy. Crumbs never fall off in soft-sided chunks. And if you’ve either gotten into breadmaking or into supporting friends that like to make bread (score!) and have leftover bread around, the crumbs you can make from it make all of the difference — I mean, do you want to coat your chicken in tangy rye sourdough crumbs or even, as seen here, grocery store country loaf crumbs or crumbs manufactured with the least flavor in mind? Somehow, removing a single step in the usual three-partdredgerywas the semi-shortcut I needed to start making crispy chicken on the regular again and nobody is upset about this. I hope it does the same for you. A few questions, preemptively answered: 6 months ago:Kachumber CoolerandMathilde’s Tomato Tart1 year ago:Pina ColadaandChicken Leek and Rice Soup2 years ago:Extra-Flaky Pie Crust3 year ago:Luxe Butterscotch Pudding4 years ago:Butterscotch Pie5 years ago:Everyday MeatballsandRoasted Yams and Chickpeas with Yogurt6 years ago:The ‘I Want Chocolate Cake’ CakeandCornmeal-Fried Pork Chops with Goat Cheese Smashed Potatoes7 years ago:Kale and Quinoa Salad with Ricotta Salata8 years ago:French Onion Tart9 years ago:Multigrain Apple Crisps10 years ago:Pina Colada CakeandWhole Wheat Goldfish Crackers11 years ago:Monkey Bread with Cream Cheese GlazeandCauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart12 years ago:Devil’s Chicken Thighs with Braised LeeksandRed Kidney Bean Curry13 years ago:Greens, Orzo and Meatball SoupandBig Crumb Coffee Cake14 years ago:Strawberry Rhubarb Pecan Loaf