Almond-Crusted Chicken Cutlets with Wilted Spinach–Orange Salad
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 21, 2007
Time
40 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 large eggs 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 ¼ teaspoons grated orange zest from 1 orange, zested orange cut into 4 wedges1 cup sliced almonds, processed into fine crumbs in the food processor½ cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (5 to 6 ounces each), dried thoroughly with paper towels½ cup vegetable oil 5 ounces baby spinach (about 6 cups)2 medium oranges, peel and pith removed, and then quartered through the ends and sliced crosswise into ¼ inch thick pieces1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
Before You Begin
If you're starting with chicken breasts, prepare the cutlets as directed below. It should take about 10 seconds to process the almonds into fine crumbs—don’t overprocess or the nuts will become oily. If you like, serve with couscous.
Instructions
- Lightly beat the eggs, mustard, 1 teaspoon orange zest, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in a shallow dish. Mix the almonds and panko in a separate shallow dish. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip the chicken into the egg mixture using tongs, turning to coat well and allowing excess to drip off. Drop the chicken into the nut mixture and press the nuts into the chicken with your fingers. Transfer the breaded chicken to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Heat 6 tablespoons oil in a heavy-bottomed, 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place the chicken in the skillet gently and cook until golden brown and crisp on the first side, about 2½ minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken; reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the meat feels firm when pressed gently, the second side is deep golden brown and crisp, and the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and place the plate in the oven. Discard the oil in the skillet and, using tongs and paper towels, wipe the skillet clean.
- Place the spinach in a large bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the cleaned skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the orange slices and cook until lightly browned around the edges, 1½ to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, shallot, remaining ¼ teaspoon zest, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and allow residual heat to soften the shallot, 30 seconds. Pour the warm dressing with the oranges over the spinach and toss gently to wilt. Remove the chicken from the oven and serve it immediately with the salad and orange wedges.
Time
40 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 ¼ teaspoons grated orange zest from 1 orange, zested orange cut into 4 wedges
1 cup sliced almonds, processed into fine crumbs in the food processor
½ cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (5 to 6 ounces each), dried thoroughly with paper towels
½ cup vegetable oil
5 ounces baby spinach (about 6 cups)
2 medium oranges, peel and pith removed, and then quartered through the ends and sliced crosswise into ¼ inch thick pieces
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 ¼ teaspoons grated orange zest from 1 orange, zested orange cut into 4 wedges
1 cup sliced almonds, processed into fine crumbs in the food processor
½ cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (5 to 6 ounces each), dried thoroughly with paper towels
½ cup vegetable oil
5 ounces baby spinach (about 6 cups)
2 medium oranges, peel and pith removed, and then quartered through the ends and sliced crosswise into ¼ inch thick pieces
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 ¼ teaspoons grated orange zest from 1 orange, zested orange cut into 4 wedges
1 cup sliced almonds, processed into fine crumbs in the food processor
½ cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (5 to 6 ounces each), dried thoroughly with paper towels
½ cup vegetable oil
5 ounces baby spinach (about 6 cups)
2 medium oranges, peel and pith removed, and then quartered through the ends and sliced crosswise into ¼ inch thick pieces
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
When leafy greens are paired with sautéed chicken, a simple salad becomes a satisfying, one-dish meal. We wanted to create an easy recipe for such a dish and thought incorporating nuts in the coating of the chicken would make for a heartier, more elegant meal. We started by pounding store-bought chicken breasts to the same thickness to ensure that they would cook evenly. Ground almonds paired with panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs) created a rich-tasting crust that was both light and crisp. After dipping the chicken breasts in eggs and the nut and panko mixture, we let them sit for a few minutes so the coating could set. Much like regular breaded chicken, the breasts had to be pan-fried in a fair amount of oil. Pan-frying can make a mess in a traditional skillet, so we used a nonstick pan. To make a quick salad with bright flavors, we heated orange slices to create a dressing in the skillet and then used the hot dressing to wilt the spinach.
Before You Begin
If you're starting with chicken breasts, prepare the cutlets as directed below. It should take about 10 seconds to process the almonds into fine crumbs—don’t overprocess or the nuts will become oily. If you like, serve with couscous.
Instructions
- Lightly beat the eggs, mustard, 1 teaspoon orange zest, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in a shallow dish. Mix the almonds and panko in a separate shallow dish. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip the chicken into the egg mixture using tongs, turning to coat well and allowing excess to drip off. Drop the chicken into the nut mixture and press the nuts into the chicken with your fingers. Transfer the breaded chicken to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Heat 6 tablespoons oil in a heavy-bottomed, 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place the chicken in the skillet gently and cook until golden brown and crisp on the first side, about 2½ minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken; reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the meat feels firm when pressed gently, the second side is deep golden brown and crisp, and the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and place the plate in the oven. Discard the oil in the skillet and, using tongs and paper towels, wipe the skillet clean.
- Place the spinach in a large bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the cleaned skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the orange slices and cook until lightly browned around the edges, 1½ to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, shallot, remaining ¼ teaspoon zest, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and allow residual heat to soften the shallot, 30 seconds. Pour the warm dressing with the oranges over the spinach and toss gently to wilt. Remove the chicken from the oven and serve it immediately with the salad and orange wedges.
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