Master Recipe
Sautéed Chicken Breast Cutlets
serves four
NOTE: Serve the chicken breast cutlets plain or with any of the
sauces: Lemon-Caper Sauce, Sherry-Cream Sauce with Mushrooms,
Tomato-Basil Sauce with Capers,
Asian-Style Sweet and Sour Sauce,
Mustard and Cream Sauce with Endive and
Caraway and Peach Salsa.
4 chicken breast cutlets (11/2 pounds), trimmed (see figure 1), tendons removed (see figure 2), rinsed, and thoroughly dried
Salt and ground black pepper1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a plate in oven for keeping cooked cutlets warm while making sauce.
2. Sprinkle both sides of cutlets with salt and pepper to taste. Measure flour onto a plate or pie tin. Working with one cutlet at a time, dredge in flour. Make sure tenderloin is tucked beneath and fused to main portion of breast (see figure 3). Pick up cutlet from tapered end; shake to remove excess flour.
3. Heat heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over high heat until hot, about 4 minutes. Add oil and heat briefly until it shimmers. Lay cutlets in skillet, tenderloin-side down and tapered ends pointing out (see figure 4).
4. Adjust heat to medium-high (fat should sizzle but not smoke) and sauté cutlets, not moving them, until browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn cutlets with tongs (a fork will pierce meat); cook on other side until meat feels firm when pressed and clotted juices begin to emerge around tenderloin, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat and transfer cutlets to warm oven. Continue with one of the sauces that follows.