Chicken Cutlets with Cherry Tomato Panzanella
If you’re looking for a fast, simple, beautiful and satisfying chicken recipe, then these quickly fried cutlets topped with some fresh produce, a touch of acid, a touch of herbs and fried bread croutons is the dish for you. Amazingly easy, amazingly tasty. Put it on the menu!
Chicken Cutlet with Cherry Tomato Panzanella
Panzanella is an Italian salad, here made with pickled onions, braised cherry tomatoes, fried chunks of bread and fresh Italian parsley.
Equipment
- meat mallet see note
Ingredients
- ¼ small onion - thinly slice lengthwise
- 3 tablespoon white vinegar - divided
- kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 6 tablespoon olive oil - divided
- 1 cup country style bread - torn into pieces (from about a ¼ loaf
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs - OR 2 bone in chicken breasts
- 1 lb. cherry tomatoes
- 1 pinch sugar - I use ½ teaspoon of agave
- ¾ flat Italian parsley - with tender stems
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the onion with 2 tablespoon vinegar, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add bread, season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until golden brown, 4-6 minutes. WATCH CAREFULLY. Transfer to a medium bowl. Wipe out skillet.
- Between two pieces of plastic wrap, using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound each chicken thigh until about ¼" thick; season with salt and pepper. If using bone-in chicken breasts, with a thin, sharp knife, cut bones and cartilage from out. Leaving the skin on either the thighs or breasts gives a satisfying layer of fatty crunch.
- Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in skillet over medium-high. Cook 2 chicken thighs or breast, at a time (if using chicken with skin, skin side down), until golden brown and nearly cooked through, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until cooked through, about 1 minute more; second side will not brown. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with remaining cutlet and 1 Tbsp. olive oil (no need to wipe out skillet).
- Cut half of tomatoes in half. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in same skillet over medium-high. Add whole tomatoes, season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until lightly blistered and starting to burst, about 5 minutes. Toss in sugar (or agave) and remaining 1 Tbsp. vinegar. Transfer to bowl with croutons. Add pickled onion with pickling liquid, halved tomatoes, parsley, and remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil and toss. Serve chicken with panzanella spooned over.
Notes
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