Here’s the Secret to the Crispiest Chicken Cutlet Sandwich
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The beauty of a fried chicken sandwich owes a lot to the magical juxtaposition of the soft, slightly sweet bun, the fresh bite of the lettuce, and the wonderful crunch of the fried chicken breading. Honestly, most sandwiches could benefit from some of that crunch. People sometimes sneak potato chips into sandwiches to add that crispy texture, but this sandwich achieves it by making the chicken itself as thin and crispy as possible.
Most good chicken sandwiches are at least a little bit crispy, but this one takes that texture to the next level by transforming the chicken breasts into the crispiest cutlets you’ve ever tasted.
Slicing the chicken breasts into quarters and pounding them to a uniform consistency means they cook more evenly, and it also means they get more of that great texture. You can achieve ultimate sandwich crunch by cutting regular chicken breasts into quarters, so you start with two chicken breasts and wind up with eight very thin pieces of chicken. Pound the chicken slices between sheets of waxed paper until they’re an eighth of an inch thick. That might seem way too thin when you do it, and you might find yourself thinking, Am I supposed to be able to see through the chicken? but it’ll pay off once that cutlet crunches like a potato chip.
Then take your ultra-thin cutlets, seasoned with salt and pepper, and dip them into a dish of beaten eggs, then a shallow dish filled with breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Then, do that again. Double-dredging the cutlets is the secret to the crunchiest chicken cutlets you’ve ever tasted.
Fry the chicken in a mixture of oil and butter until they’re golden on both sides and the chicken is cooked through. Mix together lemon juice and mayonnaise and spread it on a soft roll for some bright citrus flavor. Then place a small bed of fresh arugula on the roll and stack two cutlets on top of it, then top that with a bit more arugula and place the other half of the roll on top to finish your new favorite chicken sandwich.
Get the recipe: Chicken Cutlet Sandwich with Lemon Mayonnaise and Arugula from Ciao Chow Bambina
