Time: 1 hour
Feeds: 2-3 people
Ingredients:
For chicken cutlets
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup avocado oil (for frying)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (for frying)
For assembly
- 1 jar Rao’s marinara
- 1/2 lb spaghetti
- 4-6 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- Parmesan, for serving
Directions:
For chicken cutlets: Set up the breading station – add flour to a small sheet tray and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Crack two eggs into a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. In a final small sheet tray, mix together Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese.
Filet the chicken breasts into thin slices. Pound out these slices between two pieces of plastic wrap with a rolling pin or mallet until they’re paper thin but still holding together.
Coat the cutlets thoroughly in the seasoned flour, followed by the egg, and finally into the breadcrumbs. Set aside on a sheet tray until ready to fry.
Preheat oven to lowest temperature (usually about 175). Heat avocado and olive oil in a large skillet on medium-low to medium heat. Drop in small bit of breadcrumbs to test if the oil is heated and ready to fry. Gently drop in cutlets away from you as to not splash oil being sure to not overcrowd the pan. This might need to be done in multiple batches depending on the number of cutlets that came from the two chicken breasts. You should have about 6. Fry the cutlets until they are golden brown and cooked through to 165. Sprinkle with Diamond Crystal kosher salt immediately after they come out of the oil and set on a sheet tray with a cooling rack so the cutlets don’t get soggy. Place in preheated oven until ready to assemble the sandwiches.
For assembly: While the cutlets are frying, bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, season with kosher salt and add your pasta, cooking according to package directions. In a small saucepan, heat up the marinara over medium low heat. Once the noodles are done, drain them and add enough marinara to coat and keep them from sticking together. Throw a lid on the pot and set aside until you’re ready to eat.
Remove the cutlets from the oven and set your broiler to high. Top each cutlet with a thin layer of marinara sauce and slices of mozzarella cheese. Put these under the broiler until the cheese has melted to your liking and there is a little bit of color, being careful not to get the edges of the chicken too dark if it’s not totally covered by the cheese and sauce.
Serve the cutlets with the pasta on the side and top with grated parmesan cheese if desired!