Almond-Crusted Chicken Cutlets with Lime and Chipotle
By America's Test KitchenPublished on May 27, 2011
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat (see note)Kosher salt (see note)1 cup roughly chopped almonds (see note)4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)1 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)2 teaspoons grated lime zest, zested lime cut into 4 wedges1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder ½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground coriander ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper 3 large eggs 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Before You Begin
This recipe also works well with peanuts. For the best results, buy similarly sized chicken breasts. If your breasts have the tenderloin attached, remove it and save for another use. Table salt can be used in place of kosher salt. If using table salt, decrease the amounts by half.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Using fork, poke thickest half of each breast 5 to 6 times. Place on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and evenly sprinkle each breast with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Refrigerate, uncovered, while preparing coating.
- Process almonds in food processor until they resemble coarse meal, about twenty 1-second pulses. Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat; cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter turns golden brown and has nutty aroma, 4 to 5 minutes. Add shallot and ½ teaspoon kosher salt; cook, stirring constantly, until just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add panko and ground nuts; cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer panko mixture to rimmed baking sheet and stir in lime zest, chili powder, cumin, coriander, and cayenne.
- Lightly beat eggs, mustard, and black pepper together in shallow dish or pie plate. Place flour in second shallow dish or pie plate. Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towel. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dredge chicken breast in flour, shaking off excess, then coat with egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Coat all sides of chicken breast with panko mixture, pressing gently so that crumbs adhere. Transfer breaded chicken to clean wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
- Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving with lime wedges.
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat (see note)
Kosher salt (see note)
1 cup roughly chopped almonds (see note)
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
2 teaspoons grated lime zest, zested lime cut into 4 wedges
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat (see note)
Kosher salt (see note)
1 cup roughly chopped almonds (see note)
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
2 teaspoons grated lime zest, zested lime cut into 4 wedges
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat (see note)
Kosher salt (see note)
1 cup roughly chopped almonds (see note)
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
1 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
2 teaspoons grated lime zest, zested lime cut into 4 wedges
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Why This Recipe Works
To ensure the cutlets in our Nut-Crusted Chicken Breasts recipe were juicy and flavorful, we poked the meat with a fork and salted it. We let the chicken in our recipe rest briefly before dredging, and used a seasoned mixture consisting of half nuts, half Japanese panko to coat it. Then, to add more flavor, we used browned butter, which brought out the coating’s inherent nuttiness.
Before You Begin
This recipe also works well with peanuts. For the best results, buy similarly sized chicken breasts. If your breasts have the tenderloin attached, remove it and save for another use. Table salt can be used in place of kosher salt. If using table salt, decrease the amounts by half.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Using fork, poke thickest half of each breast 5 to 6 times. Place on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and evenly sprinkle each breast with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Refrigerate, uncovered, while preparing coating.
- Process almonds in food processor until they resemble coarse meal, about twenty 1-second pulses. Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat; cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter turns golden brown and has nutty aroma, 4 to 5 minutes. Add shallot and ½ teaspoon kosher salt; cook, stirring constantly, until just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add panko and ground nuts; cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer panko mixture to rimmed baking sheet and stir in lime zest, chili powder, cumin, coriander, and cayenne.
- Lightly beat eggs, mustard, and black pepper together in shallow dish or pie plate. Place flour in second shallow dish or pie plate. Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towel. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, dredge chicken breast in flour, shaking off excess, then coat with egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Coat all sides of chicken breast with panko mixture, pressing gently so that crumbs adhere. Transfer breaded chicken to clean wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
- Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving with lime wedges.
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