The $25 Dinner: Crispy Chicken Cutlets With Arugula Salad
The $25 Dinner is a monthly series where I’ll make hearty, satisfying dinners that serve four (or two with very good leftovers) for $25 or less.
As a reminder, here are a few ground rules:
* No assumptions. Oil, salt, pepper, and water are the freebies; everything else I have to buy. You might have other pantry staples hiding in your kitchen, but I want to put these dinners through a worst-case-scenario test and shop completely from scratch.
* No sneaky math. If I need two cups of rice, I’m not going to tell you it costs $1.00 from a larger bag. The entire package has to go toward my $25.
*No discounts. I’m shopping at my regular mid-priced Brooklyn grocery store. Could I do this for less at Aldi or Trader Joe’s? One trillion percent, and you definitely should! But I want to know you can walk into a regular store with $25 and come out with dinner.
*No hiding. You get to see the receipts. I’ll show you exactly what I bought and what everything cost, plus any shopping decisions I made along the way.
This is probably the dinner my boyfriend, Pacifico, requests most often. (Spaghetti and meatballs are a very close second, but that’s for another day.) And I’m always happy to make it because there are few things more satisfying than a crispy chicken cutlet, especially when you pile a lemony arugula salad right beside it.
At the grocery store, I made a couple executive decisions. First, I grabbed a packet of onion soup mix because staying under budget will never mean staying under-seasoned. Adding a little into the flour and breadcrumbs gives a boost of savory flavor without buying a bunch of separate seasonings. We’re also using seasoned panko because: A) they were the same price as plain and B) we want flavor everywhere we can get it! But if you already have plain breadcrumbs at home, put that onion soup mix to work and toss another tablespoon into the breadcrumbs.
(Also, I accidentally grabbed a bag of self-rising flour — oops! — but I went back to price check all-purpose flour and I would have come out the same. Do as I say, not as I do!)
My grand total: $23.29. A whole $1.71 for the piggy bank!
And because I’m a curious little cat, I went down a cutlet-shaped rabbit hole to see who thought of it first. The short answer is: there is no short answer. Milan has cotoletta alla milanese, a breaded veal chop fried in butter. Vienna has Wiener schnitzel, a (you’ll never guess!) breaded veal cutlet fried until crisp. When Italian immigrants met America’s favorite protein, chicken became the cutlet we know and love today. But I’ve had great cutlets of various proteins across Europe, Latin America, Japan, and in a million Little Italys. Maybe a perfect cutlet is the secret to world peace? Ok, enough talking, I’m starving!
Crispy Chicken Cutlets With Arugula Salad
Serves 4
Chicken Cutlets
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 1 large globe eggplant*)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon onion soup mix
3 large eggs
2 cups seasoned panko
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
Arugula Salad
1 large lemon
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 ounces baby arugula
*Make it vegetarian: Swap the chicken for one large globe eggplant. Slice it lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick planks, season with salt on both sides, and let them sit for 20 minutes — an important step to draw out excess moisture and that bitter taste eggplant can have. Rinse under cold water, pat them completely dry, then bread and fry as directed, until deeply golden and tender.
Make the cutlets: Trim any fat off the chicken breasts, then slice each chicken breast in half horizontally to make two thinner cutlets.
Working one at a time, place a cutlet between two pieces of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin or meat mallet to whack the cutlet into an even thickness, about 1/4 inch.
Set up three deep plates or quarter sheet pans if you have them. In the first, whisk together the flour and one tablespoon of onion soup mix. Crack the eggs into the second and whisk. In the third, toss the panko with the remaining one teaspoon of onion soup mix.
The magic trick here is using a fork to transfer the cutlets from one plate to the next so your hands stay nice and dry. Working one at a time, dredge a cutlet in the flour mixture, flipping to coat, then lift and shake off any excess. Transfer to the eggs, flip to coat, then lift and let the excess drip off. Finally, transfer to the panko — and now you can use your hands! Press firmly until the cutlet is well coated on both sides. Transfer to a full sheet tray and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Let the breaded cutlets relax while you make the salad: Squeeze half of the lemon into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper, then whisk in about twice as much olive oil. Taste it on a leaf of arugula and whisk in more oil, salt, and/or pepper until you’re happy. Set the dressing aside; we’ll toss in the arugula just before serving.
Fry the cutlets: Pour 3/4 cup of olive oil into a large skillet and set over medium heat. Heat until the oil is shimmering, about three to four minutes. To test it, drop in a pinch of panko. If it immediately sizzles, you’re good to go. If you get an underwhelming reaction, give the oil another minute.
Arrange two cutlets in the skillet and fry, using tongs to flip halfway, until beautifully golden brown and cooked through, about four minutes per side. Transfer to a fresh paper towel-lined sheet tray and season with a pinch of salt. If you need to, add more oil to the skillet and let it heat up before frying the remaining cutlets.
Toss the salad and serve: Cut the remaining lemon half into four wedges. Quickly whisk the dressing again, then toss in the arugula. Divide the chicken and salad among plates and serve with those cute lemon wedges for squeezing over the chicken.
Store and reheat: Refrigerate any leftover cutlets in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat the cutlets in a 400°F oven or air fryer until hot and crispy, about five to eight minutes. Store any leftover arugula and dressing separately and toss just before serving.
Casey Elsass is a food writer, recipe developer, and cookbook author based in Brooklyn. He is the author of the bestselling cookbook What Can I Bring?: Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life and has co-authored more than 30 cookbooks. His writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times, New York Magazine, Bon Appétit, NPR, Food52, and, of course, Cup of Jo.
P.S. Three favorite chicken breast recipes, and a five-ingredient lemon-y chicken dinner.
(Photos by Pacifico Silano.)
Tags: $25 Dinner
Comments
76 commentsI have made this an embarrassing number of times since it was posted here. It was my first time making chicken cutlets- I used to be too scared to cook with the oil in a pan like that. This is SO delicious. I shared with my best friend and she loved it too! :)
Wanted to hope on to say I made these for dinner and they were delicious!
This looks good. I still keep all my recipes in print form in a binder, I cut and paste this one but maybe a print button in the future? Thanks.
Truly a perfect meal!
I love this series (and the recipes so far) so much!!
Casually sharing a link to your handsome artist bf who boasts his love for you all over his instagram? What an outrageous flex. I’m here for it. And the cutlets.
I’m very lucky :)
I almost missed it, Anon. Thanks for the flag because it’s so precious.
@Olivia Jane, right?? I saw this and thought okay, romance is alive and well, y’all! Casey – I’d say you both are! <3
I have another cutlet mystery for you to investigate! I recently moved to St. Paul, MN from Brooklyn and no grocery stores sell breaded chicken cutlets in the deli section?!? I swear every grocery store and bodega in New York has them. The extremely nice store employees have no idea what I’m talking about. I am perplexed! I even tried the specialty Italian grocery and no dice. Do other parts of the country just not have these in grocery stores?
I can’t imagine living in a world without chicken cutlets everywhere! Let us know if you need us to overnight a care package from Brooklyn.
Moved to the twin cities from upstate NY and yes I miss these and also good ricotta. Any tips from locals or transplants?
Isn’t it hard to cut the chicken breasts in half? Seems like it would be tricky. I always pay more to buy chicken cutlets because I’m intimidated by this step (and the alternative, which is pounding with a mallet).
I weirdly love doing it! Once you get a feel for gliding your knife across it becomes second nature.
Not at all – I always cut mine in half because they are too thick and take too long to cook through! Just be careful with the knife and you’ll be fine – practice!
Yum…nearly everything is better crumbed, according to kids. A frugal tip: I whisk one egg with as much milk as I think is necessary to crumb fish or chicken for my family of four
I love you and this so much.
Chicken cutlets are the best of the best!! And cutlets + arugula salad is perfection. I’ve never used the onion soup mix before but am definitely trying that next week. Thank you for this!
Chicken cutlets are my ultimate comfort food (with a side of mash = heaven) and I make them at least once a week; sometimes fried in oil like this, sometimes in the airfryer (but that’s defintiely not the same!) Sometimes my son will take one on the road before training and we call them Italian protein bars. My one (unsolicited) tip from a lifelong cutlet lover…add a bit of milk to your eggs and add paprika and fennel seed to your mix. The fennel makes them POP and a squeeze of lemon over the chicken and salad = perfection.
Wowwwwww! Fennel seed is such a smart addition. I’m taking notes.
So delicious. This is one of my favorite dinners to serve. Everyone is happy – kids, adults. I don’t fry a lot so that sets this apart from our usual dinners. 4C makes great seasoned gluten free breadcrumbs.
What dredging pans are you using? They look perfect.
They’re enamel trays made for mixing watercolor and oil paints. I found them at a craft store years ago. They can’t go in the oven, but they’re perfect for all kinds of kitchen prep!
Would it be possible to add a print option to these awesome recipes? Thanks COJ!
Second this!
For those afraid of frying: I promise it’s not scary! Yes, the stove will get splattered, but wiping it down after doing the dishes isn’t the end of the world. You can also get a one of those flat splatter protector things, I think they’re usually marketed for cooking bacon, but they work (okay) for anything. After frying, I open all the windows (I live in California, so — I know, I know — this is a luxury) and grind some coffee for the morning. That usually helps reduce the smell. And honestly? A lingering scent of fried chicken for a couple days? Not the worst thing in my book. Be brave. Go forth and fry.
Love ur comment about the smell. I love for my home to have the cooking smells, makes it homey!! Someone is working in Kitchen to provide, create a lovely meal.
What happened to Kelsey’s Wednesday posts? Did I miss something? Is she still at COJ? Thanks!
she worked with us for six months during a transition period, and we love her!
Okay I’ve never made cutlets like this and I am a small-scale poultry farmer! Thank you for this. Looks amazing and I am going to try it tomorrow! Might I also suggest (as an aforementioned poultry farmer;)) an entry about the benefits of buying a whole chicken and stretching it out? An example for us would be roasting the bird on night one (usually Sunday because work), pulling it apart for chicken salad or a stove top pot pie on night two, and then throw the bones and carcass in the slow cooker for soup with lots of veggies on night 3. I realize this is more than $25, and also, with most cuts of chicken going for $8-10 per pound, a whole chicken is considerably less. As a family of four, we are able to do this for three meals or several lunches. I understand this would be tough for a large family or even having a teen swimmer at the dinner table (as I’ve witnessed first hand) but it can be economical, more environmentally-friendly, and really easy all at the same time.
I appreciate this advice!
Yes, I thought about buying whole chicken again and baking myself. Its a toss up, bc Wal-Mart sells 5.99 per cooked chicken. For the raw breast, we can purchase 0.99 per pound at times. (Right now, my oven is broke..). I have been diagnosed with darn Alpha Gal, no hairy meats. I need these awesome chicken recipes! Andy, what’s your “stove top” chicken pie recipe. I love good /yummy chicken pie!! :) :) :)
Yes to the whole chicken! I just spatchocked one last week for the first time in my 40+ years of life and it was extremely easy! Also it was the best roast chicken I’ve ever made – perfection. Then use the bones and any extra meat to make a very easy pho/ramen the next day. Bring to a boil the bones, a full onion cut in half (leave the onion skin on!), 3 cinnamon sticks, 4 whole star anise, and a finger of ginger cut into big slices. Simmer for 30-40 minutes. Scoop all the solid stuff out and then add a tbsp of brown sugar, a dash of fish sauce, and juice from half a lime to the broth. Low simmer 10 more minutes. Then cook your Roman noodles right there in the brother and serve with leftover chicken meat and some cilantro or green onions.
I love chicken cutlets, and this looks like a great “shortcut” recipe. And I love the concept behind this series! I rarely make cutlets, though, because like others I hate frying, even pan frying. My cooktop is always covered with grease splatter afterwards and it’s a pain to clean up (and dispose of oil). Is this just a me problem?? 😊
I have a splatter protector, maybe get one of those? it looks like a flat sieve with a handle and sits atop your pan to (hopefully) keep oil from splattering everywhere. I think my big one cost $5 at the local restaurant supply store. I prefer to clean it than to have to clean the entire stovetop and countertop.
No, it’s not just you! I don’t fry things in 3/4 cup of oil because I don’t want to deal with all that oil, and because I try to use less oil when I cook. But you can get a very similar effect with FAR less oil, or in the air fryer.
I use this silicone Frywall guard. I like it better than a mesh screen because I can see what I’m cooking and it’s easy to clean. https://frywall.com/ Another option is covering the surrounding area with Dollar Tree foil.
Try grilling it instead? (I think this might be called broiling in the US?)
For the venn diagram of vegetarians who are afraid of frying: This is the most delicious and easiest eggplant recipe! https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025836-spiced-roasted-eggplant
Any of the Begun Bhaja receipes make amazing eggplant frys. you can pany fry/deep fry/air fry/roast in oven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp0NMWs86uk
Om….. olive oil, grapeseed oil… there’s no real issue, ma’am. Pour ur used oil on heavy duty paper towel or newspaper and dispose! Easy easy! Love ur sense for mother earth.
What are the main flavors in the onion soup mix? I have a pretty well-stocked spice cabinet already and would rather be able to do the seasoning from scratch.
I too am hesitant to fry like this -mostly because I think it would leave a lingering smell in my house for days to come! [particularly when we are not leaving the windows open in chilly fall weather.] Also – what do you do with the oil after frying?
I keep an emptied soup (or whatever) can in my freezer. Empty grease in there, pop it back in the freezer until it’s full, then toss it out on garbage day!
I typically avoid frying. You can instead pan fray with less oil on a cast iron pan/ flat pans. One of my friends taught me to dispose used oil in a milk container or a juice container. I know more dumping onto landfill
Leave a dish of white vinegar out overnight. Somehow it makes food odors disappear. I do that when we eat fish too!
Casey- I was taught an extra step: before pan-frying, put cutlets in freezer for 20 minutes so that the coating better adheres to the chicken. What do you think? Have you tried that? Really love this series idea.
Hi Christine! I worry about lowering the temperature of chicken since we want it to cook through before the breading gets too brown. I let my coated cutlets sit at room temperature while I prepare the salad, heat up my oil, get distracted by a few things, and that rest is plenty of time to make sure the coating sticks before frying.
If I have time, I refrigerate breaded cutlets before frying for this purpose.
Loving this feature!
Love the “make it vegetarian” option! Thanks! ❤️
100%! Would so love to see default veggie options here, if that’s an option? I opened this and was like “chicken …. Again?!”
thank you for the feedback, and coming up soon!! including a vegetarian Thanksgiving spread :)
You could follow the same recipie with Tofu/ cauliflower steak too for vegetarian option. There is a type of cottage cheese called Paneer (Available at Indian stores) that can be used to replace a lot of meat option.
Can you freeze the cooked cutlets?
Yes they freeze beautifully! Just thaw them in the fridge overnight and then reheat in a 400°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes.
To economize, trade arugula for cabbage and skip the onion mix entirely, just use salt/pepper/paprika.
I’ve also used parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning, if all you have are plain breadcrumbs.
This looks so good…I am still not confident about frying and tnd to stay away from it….but would love to try this recipe….would love to know the oliv oil brand usd for frying?
I love to cook, but have yet to master frying myself. I try ever summer by picking up zucchini from the farmer’s market to make fritters. They’re always edible, but not great. I’ve yet to try meat. As an aside, I loved this story from my parents. My mom tried to make fried chicken one evening, even asking her MIL for the recipe because my dad liked it so much. Well…. it was a disaster, undercooked on the inside and overdone on the fry, and she has never tried again. My dad’s ribbing probably didn’t help. Only oven baked going forward for my mom. Maybe that’s why I’m hesitant. I should break the cycle.
I believe in both of you! This is a shallow pan fry which I think is much more user-friendly than deep frying.
Chicken cutlets are THE comfort food for my family (with the exception of mad hatters/eggs in a basket which is reserved for break ups). My mom has made them after the births of each child and now makes a big batch when she visits. Am super curious about adding the soup mix… Great idea with a fresh salad as a companion.
Aren’t they just the best?!
Hot tip: Use the last $1.71 to grab a granny smith apple. Julienne the apple (i use a mandolin) and toss it in the salad.
love that!!
I love this series! I am a pretty advanced cook but I tend to shy away from frying things. I am not sure why it’s so intimidating!
It took me years to get comfortable frying and now I love it. I think a shallow pan fry like this is so much easier than jumping in the deep end (literally) of deep frying.
Probably because you can burn yourself! You’ll never catch me saying this fear is irrational lol.
My chicken NEVER looks that uniform or crispy, and often, some of the breading comes off. Any tips to make it look like the photo??
I always let me coated cutlets sit at room temp for a few minutes (at least 10 but up to 30 is fine!) and that helps the breading really hold together in the skillet.
In Austria a favorite veggie option would be celeriac / root celery schnitzel… (Zucchini also works a treat)
Yayyy it’s Casey Wednesday!
xoxoxoxo
<3333
amaaazinggg, going to try tonight. and i love the vegetarian option! You’re the best! I wish this was a daily post so I’ll know what to make every night hah!
YUM!!