Chicken Cutlet A La Normande Food

CHICKEN NORMANDY

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt: Sprinkle salt over the chicken pieces and let sit for 20 minutes at room temperature while you prep the other ingredients and sauté the apples in the next step.
• Deglaze pan with brandy: Add the brandy to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape any remaining browned bits off the bottom of the pan.

THE BEST CHICKEN CUTLETS

Steps:

• Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise making 8 roughly equal pieces. (They should look like large chicken tenders.) Place one sheet of plastic wrap on a clean cutting board. Put one chicken piece in the center of the plastic wrap and top with another sheet. Pound the chicken with the flat side of a meat mallet, starting in the center and working your way to the edges, until the chicken is 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
• Set up a standard breading station: mix the flour, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes if using, if using, in a shallow dish.
• Beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon water in a second shallow dish.
• Mix the panko, Pecorino-Romano, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, the remaining 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, the remaining 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes if using, in a third shallow dish.
• Dredge one piece of chicken in the flour mixture, turning to coat evenly. Shake off any excess, then dip into the egg mixture, turning to fully coat it on both sides. Let the excess egg drip off, then press the chicken firmly into the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat on both sides and packing the crumbs into any crevices. Transfer the chicken back to the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
• Line a clean baking sheet with a clean wire rack. Heat 2 tablespoons of the unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add 2 pieces of chicken and cook until the breading is golden-brown and crisp and the chicken is just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to the clean wire rack, season with salt and hold in the oven at 200 degrees F to keep warm. Wipe the skillet clean and repeat with the remaining butter, olive oil and chicken, making 4 batches in total.
• Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

CHICKEN NORMANDY

Steps:

• To a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Pat dry the chicken thighs and a pinch of salt and pepper to both sides of the thighs. Carefully place the thighs into the pot and cook each side until browned.
• Remove the chicken thighs from the pot and temporarily set aside on a plate. Add the apple wedges to the pot and sauté for a few minutes until golden and caramelized. Place the apple wedges on a separate plate.
• Turn down the heat to medium. To the pot, add the onions and brandy. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. After a few minutes, when the onion has softened, add the garlic and cook for another minute.
• Add the chicken back into the pot and pour in enough apple cider so that the chicken is mostly immersed in the cider, but not completely submerged. Raise the heat to high to bring the cider to a boil. Once it's boiling, turn down the heat to medium and cover the pot with a lid; cook for 5-7 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
• Remove the lid from the pot and stir in the cooked apples, mustard, cream, and chopped sage. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes longer, until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
• Serve each chicken thigh with a few apple wedges and some cream sauce poured over it. Enjoy immediately with French bread.

NORMANDY-STYLE CHICKEN AND LEEKS WITH CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• Season chicken all over with salt and pepper. Melt butter with the oil in a large enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just bubbling. Add half the chicken pieces, skin sides down; cook, turning once, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken pieces to a plate; set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces; add to plate. Remove pot from heat; let cool slightly.
• Return pot to medium-low heat, and add leeks. Cook, stirring frequently, until leeks begin to soften and are pale golden, about 3 minutes. Add hard cider and thyme. Move leeks to edges of pot, and add all the chicken pieces to pot, skin sides down. Arrange leeks over chicken. Cover, and cook 15 minutes (if liquid is bubbling rapidly, reduce heat to low). Turn chicken pieces, and cook until breasts are cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken breasts to a plate, and cover to keep warm. Adjust leeks so they are submerged in liquid. Cook, uncovered, until the remaining chicken pieces are tender and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer all of the chicken to a warm serving platter. Remove leeks from pot, and arrange them around the chicken. Cover to keep warm. Return pot to medium heat. Cook, uncovered, until liquid has reduced by about half (to a scant 2/3 cup), 8 to 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in the creme fraiche and parsley. Ladle pan sauce over chicken and leeks. Serve immediately.

ESCALOPE DE POULET à LA NORMANDE (CHICKEN NORMANDY)

Steps:

• In a large sauté pan with high sides, brown the chicken breasts over medium high heat until lightly golden on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate.
• Add the butter to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until golden.
• Add the mushrooms and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, until the mushrooms are golden.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour. Mix well until the flour is moistened. Return the pan back to the heat.
• Add the stock to de-glaze the skillet, scraping up any stuck bits.
• Add the cider, brandy, and pepper.
• Return the chicken to the pan, nestling them among the onions and mushrooms. Simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes, over medium low heat, until the chicken is cooked.
• After 20 minutes, mix in the cream and the salt. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, uncovered, for 10-20 minutes over medium low heat until the sauce has thickened to your liking.

LIZZIE'S CHICKEN CUTLETS

Steps:

• Set up your grill for cooking with direct and indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only.
• Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise, so you have thinner chicken cutlets. Cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap and gently pound out to an even thickness, about 1/4 inch.
• To a mixing bowl, add the flour, garlic powder, 2 teaspoons paprika and 1 teaspoon curry powder. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine well. To another mixing bowl, add the breadcrumbs, remaining 2 teaspoons paprika and remaining teaspoon curry powder. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine well. Whisk together the eggs and mustard in another mixing bowl.
• Place a large cast-iron pan on the direct-heat side of the grill to preheat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumb mixture, shaking off any excess in between. When the pan is hot, add enough olive oil so that it's 1/2-inch deep. Bring the oil to 350 degrees F, then add half the chicken, leaving plenty of space in between. Cook the chicken until golden brown, then flip and brown on the other side, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet to drain off any extra oil. Repeat with the remaining chicken, adding additional olive oil to the pan, if needed. Serve and enjoy!

POULET à LA NORMANDE

Steps:

• Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels, and season well with salt and pepper. Heat the fat in a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Brown the chicken, in batches if necessary, skin side down until deep golden, 6 to 8 minutes, then flip, and sear the other side until golden, another 3 minutes.
• If flambéing: Make sure there is nothing flammable near or above your stove. Gently warm the Calvados in a saucepan over medium heat. When the chicken is well browned, protect your hand, and use a long kitchen match to light the liquor on fire, then carefully pour it into the chicken pan. The flame can shoot over 2 feet high, so be careful. Cook until the flame subsides. If not flambéing: Once the chicken is browned, turn off the heat, and add the Calvados. When the sizzling subsides, turn the heat on to medium low, bring the liquid to a simmer and cook for 4 minutes to evaporate the alcohol.
• Add the cider and onions, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat down to a very gentle simmer. Quickly peel and core the apples, and cut them into 1 1/2-inch chunks, and place them on top of the chicken. Cover the pan, and cook, checking occasionally to ensure the liquid is maintaining a gentle simmer, not boiling, until the chicken is just cooked through, 35-40 minutes.
• Remove the chicken, onions and apples to a platter, and cover. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and 3 tablespoons of cold water. Stir this into the braising liquid, and bring to a simmer for 1 minute, until thickened. Stir in the crème fraîche, and season the sauce with salt to taste, replace the chicken, onions and apples in the sauce and serve with crusty bread and a salad.

CHICKEN CUTLET A LA NORMANDE

Steps:

• 1. Pre-heat oven to 200 F. 2. Season chicken or veal with salt, pepper and thyme, dredge in flour. 3. Heat butter in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in pan. Turn pieces and cook until done, should be firm and springy when poked with your finger. Remove to a plate and put in the oven to keep warm. 4. Raise pan heat to medium-high and add shallots, stir and cook for about two minutes. Then add the mushrooms and cook for several minutes, until they stop releasing liquid and begin to brown. Then add the apples, continue to toss and fry until apples and mushrooms begin to brown a little bit. 5. Add the Calvados, off the Flame! If you use gas, tip the pan and ignite the liquor. If you have electric, just boil for about 2 minutes to boil off alcohol. Add the thyme, cook for about 1 minute. 6. Add the cream, continue to cook over high heat until the sauce begins to produce large bubbles and thickens. Taste for seasoning. 7. Remove chicken from the oven and incorporate any accumulated juices into the sauce. Serve sauced or with the sauce on the side.

POULET VALLéE D'AUGE

Steps:

• Quarter and core the apples and cut into smallish dice - a bit smaller than canned pineapple cubes. Put half the butter in a frying pan (you will need a lid for it later), heat until foaming, then tip in the apples. Fry for 7-10 minutes, turning more or less constantly, until golden brown all over and just tender when prodded with a knife. Lift out and set aside.
• Melt the remaining butter in the pan and fry the chopped shallots for 2-3 minutes. Move them to the sides of the pan so they don't start to burn, then put the chicken in, skin side down. Cook the chicken, without moving it, for 3-4 minutes until browned, then turn it over and cook in the same way for another 3-4 minutes.
• Heat about one third of the calvados in a ladle or small pan. Remove from the heat and set light to it with a match, then pour it over the chicken in the pan, stirring to burn off the fat. Repeat with the remaining calvados, in two batches.
• Pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer very gently for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and tender. Lift the chicken on to a board and set aside to rest for a few minutes.
• Vigorously bubble the remaining juices in the uncovered pan for a couple of minutes, to reduce, then stir in the apples and crème fraîche and keep the pan over a low heat.
• Carve each breast thickly into 6 or 7 diagonal slices and transfer them to warmed plates, keeping the slices together by lifting them with a fish slice or wide palette knife. Check the seasoning of the sauce and spike with a touch of lemon juice, then spoon over the chicken. Sprinkle with parsley and eat.

CHICKEN NORMANDY (ESCALOPE DE POULET A LA NORMANDE)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Pan-sear chicken breasts in the hot oil until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken breasts from the skillet.
• Add drained mushrooms to the pan juices in the skillet and cook until they start to pop, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk together cream, egg yolk, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl; pour into the skillet with the mushrooms. Return chicken breasts to the skillet and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the egg yolk from setting, until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the chicken breast should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Serve with cooked white rice.

OLD-FASHIONED CHICKEN CUTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place a large oven-proof plate on the bottom rack.
• Dissolve salt and sugar in water in a 1-quart casserole dish. Place chicken in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Pat chicken dry and place on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Let air-dry for 10 minutes.
• Place bread in a blender or food processor; blend until crumbly, about 30 seconds. Mix bread crumbs with parsley in a shallow dish.
• Place flour in a shallow dish.
• Beat eggs with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a separate shallow dish.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge each cutlet in the flour, shaking off any excess; dip in the egg mixture and coat evenly in bread crumbs.
• Heat the remaining oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cutlets; cook until golden brown on the outside, no longer pink in the center, and juices run clear, 2 to 3 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove warmed plate from the oven; placed cooked cutlets on the plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken.