Crispy Lemon Chicken Cutlets With Salmoriglio Sauce

Published Feb. 16, 2023

Crispy Lemon Chicken Cutlets With Salmoriglio Sauce
Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Eugene Jho.
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(2,652)
Comments
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Derived from the Italian word for brine, “salamoia,” salmoriglio is a lemon sauce from Sicily and Calabria that is used to marinate and dress grilled meats and fish. This pleasantly sharp, all-purpose dressing is equally suited to chicken breasts: It soaks into the crust and lends a citrus punch to the meat. Fresh parsley, oregano or a combination of fresh herbs can be used, based on preference. The breading is inspired by the store-bought bread crumbs that are often labeled as Italian seasoned and often used for what Italian Americans simply call chicken cutlets: coated chicken breasts that are shallow-fried in olive oil. The addition of this simple lemon sauce gives this easy weeknight meal a restaurant-quality finish. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4), halved and pounded ¼-inch thick
  • Kosher salt and pepper
  • 3large lemons
  • 2eggs, beaten
  • ½cup very finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
  • cups bread crumbs
  • ¼cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 2teaspoons dried oregano
  • cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for frying
  • 1garlic clove, minced
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

415 calories; 19 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 34 grams protein; 541 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pat chicken dry, then season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.

  2. Step 2

    Zest 1 lemon, reserving the zest for the bread crumbs, then halve the lemon and squeeze all its juice into a medium bowl. Add the eggs to the juice and beat to combine. Add the seasoned chicken and turn to coat. Let rest while you make the sauce and bread crumb mixture.

  3. Step 3

    Prepare the sauce: In a medium bowl, combine the zest and juice of the remaining 2 lemons; stir in ¼ cup of the parsley. Set aside.

  4. Step 4

    Prepare the bread crumbs: In a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, flour, cheese, oregano and the remaining parsley. Add the reserved lemon zest and, using a fork, press the zest into the bread crumb mixture to combine evenly.

  5. Step 5

    Working one at a time, press each chicken breast into the bread crumb mixture, using your fingers to help thoroughly coat it on both sides; place on a sheet pan.

  6. Step 6

    Heat about ⅓ cup of oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Working in batches, leaving 1 to 2 inches of space between, add 2 to 3 chicken pieces and cook until golden brown, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle immediately with salt. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding and heating more oil as needed.

  7. Step 7

    While the first batch of chicken is frying, heat ⅓ cup olive oil in a small saucepan on medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just long enough for the garlic to sizzle but not brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

  8. Step 8

    Once all the chicken is plated, slowly pour the garlic oil into the lemon and parsley mixture and whisk to combine. Before serving, spoon the salmoriglio sauce liberally over the chicken.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,652 user ratings
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Comments

I've been making this for years, using a less precious method: - Before coating chicken, pound the breasts slightly to flatten and speed up cooking. - After a quick fry in a cast iron pan, plate the chicken and deglaze the pan with whatever you have on hand -- e.g., a little white wine and/or good chicken broth. Scrape up all those nice brown bits. Add lemon juice and parsley (if you wish, but it's fine without it). - Drizzle the reduced liquid over the chicken and serve immediately.

Shallow fried chicken cutlets will keep crisp on a wire rack set in a sheet pan in a low oven (225F) for about 20 minutes. They also freeze remarkably well and reheat almost as good as freshly made: freeze cutlets on a wire rack and then move into container storage. Reheat frozen cutlets on a wire rack set in baking sheet for 15 min at 350. The prep for chicken cutlets is a bit much for weeknight fare, but a big batch on the weekend pays dividends during the week!

Simple request: How much lemon juice, exactly? "Three large lemons," is very vague. Maybe "3/4 cup lemon juice?" I have an abundant lemon tree. I can estimate what amount of juice a store-bought lemon might produce, of course. But what is "large" is variable. I have lemons the size of grapefruit on my tree. I cut the lemon quantity in half and it was still too much. Good base recipe though.

Delicious dish. I will definitely make this again. I did made two changes: used chicken thighs instead of breasts and used cilantro instead of parsley. I know my Italian grandma probably rolled over in her grave, but I prefer cilantro to parsley. Leftovers were tasty on crusty Italian bread and on a salad.

It was tasty but it could have used more salt. I also agree with the comment that this is a better as a weekend versus weeknight meal.

This turned out well but there are a few confusing directions. I read the notes and decided to bake the breaded chicken at 400 for 20 minutes and drizzled olive oil generously and then crisped it up under the broiler. The sauce- whoa! Too tart. I would modify it to balance it out- possibly add butter and sauté… But- the chicken itself was delicious. I used panko because I had it on hand and it worked perfectly. I’ll make it again with a few tweaks

@Cookin in Nyack Super helpful Point about the sauce! Rescued mine from a heavy hand with the lemon

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