How many breasts does a chicken have? One of course! If you ask someone to pick up four chicken breasts at the supermarket, how many chicken breast halves will they buy?
Many chicken dishes start with chicken scaloppini or cutlets. Scaloppini is white chicken sliced thin. Cutlets usually are thicker and flattened to uniform thickness. Cutlets usually are breaded or battered prior to cooking. Italians often use the words cutlets and scaloppini interchangeably.
Chicken scaloppini is used when making delicate scaloppini Marsala, or chicken with sauces that are wine, butter, broth or cream based. Breaded cutlets are pan or oven fried to make chicken Milanese. These cutlets are often assembled to make popular chicken parmigiana.
Scaloppini and cutlets are sold precut or can economically be cut from breasts. Below are easy techniques for trimming your own.
Cutting breasts for chicken Milanese or chicken parmigiana. Skip the instructions in the first two frames. Place uncut chicken round side down. Butterfly ends as shown in the third frame. Pound the breast between 2 sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap until they are reduced to 1/2 inch thick or less.
Chicken can be stuffed and rolled (chicken rollatini), or folded like a turnover. Stuffing can be as simple as prosciutto and asiago cheese, spinach and ricotta or countless others.
There is almost nothing I dislike more than dry, overcooked foods. Brining is simply submerging poultry or pork in a brine solution to retain moisture. A mixture of water and kosher salt are most common but foodies and chefs everywhere have experimented with multitudes of other additions. As an example, adding sugar to the brine encourages caramelization when cooking chicken.
There are a few concerns. Water brining can dilute the taste of chicken or pork and other ingredients can introduce flavors that can distract from subtle flavors. Also check labels. Some turkeys and chickens purchased are already brined.
I like to brine lean cuts of pork, turkey and chicken that are dry heat, oven baked. Dishes like Chicken Parmigiana cooked with moist tomato sauces or chicken that are finished by simmering in sauce in a sauté pan like marsala generally do not need to be brined. Breaded chicken cutlets cannot be finished in sauce or their breading will separate and fall apart. They also will benefit from brining.
Water brining; simply use a ratio of 1/4 cup of kosher salt and 1/4 cup of sugar in a quart of cold water mixed well. Submerge chicken or pork and refrigerate in the brine for about an hour. If a whole chicken, use an equal ratio of 3/4 cup of kosher salt and sugar to a gallon of water and brine overnight.
Brining with chicken broth, for up to 3 pounds of chicken cutlets, whisk a 14.5 oz. can of chicken broth with 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt. Submerge chicken pieces for only a half hour. Longer can result in spony cutlets. Rinse and dry well especially thorough if coating with breading.
Dredging with flour helps prevent chicken from sticking and becoming tough, improves moisture retention, creates crunchy surfaces, and traps seasoning. However, flour burns easier than naked chicken and can result in a bitter taste.
Traditional breadcrumbs and Panko are best for chicken. They provide flavor, pleasing crispy texture, and add elegance to chicken. Flavors like herbs, parmigiana, seasoned salts can be added to the flour, egg wash or breading. Some alter chemistry by adding buttermilk or yogurt.
Panko has mild delicate flavor often ideal for fish and vegetables. Panko also works well breading chicken for lighter applications where Italian style breadcrumbs are too heavy. Panko crumbs also have more surface area resulting in a crispier coating.
Breading is a simple three step process. Chicken is dried and seasoned with salt and pepper. Three stations are created. First is a flat bottom bowl with white flour. Second, another bowl with a mixture of eggs beaten with chopped Italian parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. The third, wax paper with seasoned Italian style breadcrumbs tossed with grated parmigiana cheese.
When ready to apply breading, using tongs, lightly dredged cutlets in flour and shake. Chicken are then dipped into the egg mixture and excess dripped back into the bowl. Coat chicken all around with breadcrumb. Repeat while pressing down with the palm of your hand, thoroughly imbedding the crumbs. Lastly, rest coated chicken in a single layer for at least a half hour prior to cooking.
Once browned, breaded chicken's coating will dislodge if simmered in hot sauces. Even if they survive, they lose their crispiness. When oven baking, i.e. "Chicken Milanese", once coating is crispy and the chicken is just cooked through I sometimes top with a variety of pre-cooked toppings sprinkled with pizza cheeses and bake just until cheese is melted. As an example, please see my recipe for "Thin Panko Breaded Cutlets with Pizza Toppings" below. You can add warm flavored sauces by placing a puddle on or next to the breaded chicken in each plate.
Corn starch is commonly used as a coating in Asian cooking and for thickening. It is also used for "velveting", a technique used for sealing seafood and chicken. Corn starch is relatively tasteless. It also can be used to coat chicken and seafood. Because it browns quicker than flour, it is better used on smaller pieces. I use corn starch on bite size chicken pieces and shrimp and accompany them with a variety of dips like mustard sauce or sweet and hot Asian mayo sauce.