Chicken Cutlet

                                                                           

Chicken cutlets can be a great option for  week nights .... light yet satisfying. Some salad on the side and maybe garlic bread to go with it and there you have it... a complete meal.  You can even use these cutlets to make burgers. Kids would surely love that.  Or maybe use it as the filling for a wrap. There are so many ways you can serve them.

I used regular chicken pieces ( with bones) to make this cutlet but you can make it with chicken mince too. It is a very simple recipe really but the results are truly amazing. All you need to do is boil chicken pieces with ginger, garlic and whole spices. This infuses the chicken with all the lovely flavours. Once chicken is tender you need to shred it, give it a gentle whirl in the blender and then add the few other ingredients. Shape, fry and enjoy them!! These cutlets are wonderfully crisp on the outside and soft inside. Just as I like them!!

Ingredients:

250 gms chicken
1  potato, boiled and grated
2 slices bread, soaked in water,squeezed dry and crumbled
1 egg
1 tsp ginger, finely chopped or paste
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped or paste
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
Whole spices: 1 bay leaf, 4 cloves, 1 black cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon
1/4 cup bread crumbs or as required
Oil as needed

Method:  Wash the chicken well. Take a pressure cooker or pan and put the chicken pieces, ginger, garlic, whole spices, salt and half cup of water. After the first whistle, lower the flame and let it cook for 15 minutes. Boil potato and when boiled, remove skin and grate it. Remove sides of bread slices, soak in water for a second, remove and squeeze water out and crumble it.

Once you open the pan, take out just the chicken and shred it, discarding bones.(If using mince, strain the water and discard whole spices). Put the shredded chicken (or mince) in a food processor or mixer and blend gently. Idea is not to make it pasty, merely a little smooth. Remove and place in a bowl. Add potato, bread slices, salt to taste, pepper powder and egg. Mix well. Take a portion of the prepared mixture and shape into a cutlet. Roll in the bread crumbs and keep aside. Form the others or as many as required. Heat oil in a pan and fry the cutlets on both sides till crisp and golden. Serve hot.

You can also cook the cutlets in a non stick pan with very little oil or deep fry the cutlets. Sieve the water left over from boiling the chicken and store in fridge to use as chicken stock. After rolling in bread crumbs, you can place cutlets in fridge for a  few minutes....this helps to firm up the cutlets and the bread crumbs get time to bind to the cutlet and do not come off while frying. If you want to keep in fridge for longer, use cling film to cover.