Asha's Everything Grill Crispy Chicken Cutlets

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One of my favorite foods in the world is a crispy chicken cutlet. These skip the traditional three-step breading process—flour, egg, and bread crumbs—and instead use a combination of flour, cornstarch, and ice water to create a glue for a mixture of panko and Everything Grill Seasoning. The resulting cutlets are the epitome of GBD (golden, brown, delicious) with a crispy, savory, herbaceous crust coating thin, succulent pieces of chicken.

The cutlets are amazing on their own with a squeeze of lemon and a simple green salad. But, the possibilities are endless. They are also an equally tasty canvas for piles of seasonal veggies—tomatoes and basil dressed with olive oil and vinegar in the summer, shaved fennel, apple, and arugula in the fall, chicories and citrus in the winter, and snap peas, asparagus, and pea sprouts in the spring. Or, spoon with your favorite marinara, top with mozzarella and parmesan, and broil until the cheese is melted for the best chicken parm of your life. And, of course, these cutlets love to be tucked into a sandwich with some kind of pickled vegetable, sautéed broccoli rabe, or fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and arugula.

Ingredients

1½ pounds (680g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 each)
1¼ teaspoons Surya Salt
2 cups (120g) panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoons (30g) Everything Grill Seasoning
½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (32g) cornstarch
⅓ cup, plus 1 tablespoon (94ml) ice water
1 teaspoon Pahadi Pink Garlic, optional
Canola oil or other neutral oil, for frying
Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Lemon wedges, for serving

Methods

To cut the chicken cutlets, place one chicken breast on the cutting board. Using a sharp chef’s knife, slice the chicken breast in half horizontally so you have two thin pieces. Take one piece at a time, place between two pieces of plastic wrap and gently pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin into a cutlet ⅓” thick. Repeat with the remaining chicken and transfer the cutlets to a sheet pan. Season the chicken cutlets with 1 teaspoon salt, sprinkling evenly over all sides.
Prepare your breading station. In one rimmed sheet pan or shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, if using, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Add the ice water and whisk until smooth. (The consistency should be thick like Elmer’s glue. If it is too thick, thin it with 1 teaspoon of cold water at a time.) Next, in a second rimmed sheet pan or shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs and Everything Grill Seasoning to combine.
To bread the cutlets, take one cutlet at a time and dip it into the flour-cornstarch mixture, letting any excess drip off back into the pan or bowl. Then, place in the seasoned bread crumbs, flip, and press into the mixture until fully coated. Transfer back to the sheet pan the chicken was on and repeat with the remaining cutlets. Let sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to let the breading rehydrate (this will make for a crispier exterior). (You can also cover the breaded cutlets at this point and refrigerate for up to 3 hours before frying.)
To fry the cutlets, heat ½” canola oil in a large rimmed skillet or 12” to 14” inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, fry the cutlets in batches (two usually fit in the pan at once) until cooked through and deep golden on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the fried cutlets to a rack-lined sheet pan and sprinkle with flaky sea salt immediately after coming out of the oil. Repeat with the remaining cutlets. Serve with lemon wedges (or see headnote for other serving suggestions).