Chicken Cutlets With Mushroom Dressing

Name: Chicken Cutlets With Mushroom Dressing
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 2 pounds, pounded flat; Salt and ground black pepper; 6 sprigs fresh thyme plus 1 tablespoon thyme leaves; 1/3 cup chopped shallots; 12 ounces small button mushrooms, quartered; 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard; 1/4 cup dry white wine; 1 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar; 1/3 cup flour; 2 eggs, beaten; 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs; 4 tablespoons grapeseed oil; 6 lemon wedges

By Florence Fabricant

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes, plus 6 hours' marinating
Rating: 4(915)
Comments: Read comments

This French-inspired chicken dish isn’t exactly weeknight fare, but it is sophisticated comfort food that is well worth the effort. First, boneless chicken thighs or breasts are pounded into cutlets, marinated in garlic, lemon juice and thyme (up to 6 hours, but even a short sit will do nicely), then breaded and fried. They are then dressed in a rich yet delightfully piquant sauce of mushrooms, shallots, garlic, Dijon mustard, white wine and balsamic vinegar that is a welcome contrast to the richness of the fried chicken. Serve with a crisp green salad (and a potato gratin or pommes Anna if you're feeling particularly ambitious). If you’d prefer to fry the chicken 30 minutes or so in advance and keep it in the oven at 175 degrees, that’ll work beautifully. As for what to drink, this dish pairs perfectly with the pinot noirs of the Côte Chalonnaise on the southern end of Burgundy. Bon appétit!

Featured in: A Peek at the Promised Land

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share
Print Options
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

3tablespoons lemon juice
4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4cloves garlic, minced
6boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 2 pounds, pounded flat
Salt and ground black pepper
6sprigs fresh thyme plus 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
⅓cup chopped shallots
12ounces small button mushrooms, quartered
2tablespoons Dijon mustard
¼cup dry white wine
1tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar
⅓cup flour
2eggs, beaten
¾cup dry bread crumbs
4tablespoons grapeseed oil
6lemon wedges

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

Step 1
Combine lemon juice, half the olive oil and half the garlic in a shallow dish that can hold chicken in a single layer. Add chicken, turn to coat, dust with salt and pepper and top with thyme sprigs. Cover and refrigerate about 6 hours.
Step 2
About 45 minutes before serving, heat remaining olive oil in a 10-inch skillet. Add shallots and remaining garlic and sauté on medium until soft. Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring, until they are moist and softened, starting to color and have exuded juices. Shut off heat. Dissolve mustard in wine and mix in vinegar. Reheat mushrooms, add mustard mixture and cook on medium-high until liquid has reduced to thickness of heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper; remove from heat.
Step 3
Place flour in a shallow bowl, eggs in another bowl and bread crumbs in a third. Discard thyme sprigs from chicken. Dip chicken thighs, 1 at a time, lightly in flour, then egg, then crumbs to coat both sides. Set on a plate. Heat grapeseed oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron. Sauté chicken cutlets on medium until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side in 2 shifts. Remove to a serving platter as they are done. Tent with foil to keep warm.
Step 4
Reheat mushrooms and add thyme leaves. Place some mushroom mixture on each cutlet along with a lemon wedge and serve.

Ratings

4 out of 5

915 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

Kate7 years ago

The marinade and classic cooking method for the cutlets are excellent but I thought the mushroom dressing was a dud. It doubles the time to cook the dish, adds to the cost, and produces an uninteresting and almost sour flavor (wine/mustard/balsamic) that looks like a muddy sauce and has no resemblance to the photo, by the way; hate when they do that.

Better to just sauté the mushrooms in garlic and shallots and add to the finished chicken.

will6 years ago

I love this recipe and will make it again, but I'll sub pork liver for the chicken and dredge it in corn flakes and serve its with raspberry jam and anchovies. I am just kidding, to express my admiration for Chef Florence who has to put up with all these mindless cavils from people wh think they know how to cook better than she does. I have never had a problem with following any of these recipes to the letter.

Hopbell7 years ago

I love this recipe and I'm making it again this evening for Sunday Dinner. A tip on pounding chicken thighs: the meat is not as yielding as breast meat so I trim the bone side of the thigh of the knobs and loose pieces then gently pound them flat. The scraps of thigh that remain I use for soup or other stuff.

Don't omit the lemon! It's needed to cut the rich flavors.

Tamara1 year ago

When I make again, I'll definitely do the chicken first and keep it warm in the oven (although it was easy to reheat). I used Panko bread crumbs and got a really great crunch on the chicken. Paired really well with an arugula salad with some grated parmesan and a lemon-olive oil dressing. Do not forget the lemon wedge at the end -- pulls the whole dish together.

lance2 years ago

Quite good but too much balsamic for my taste. Might use a teaspoon rather than a tablespoon next time. Had with a side of asparagus.

Cam2 years ago

Less Balsamic

Private comments are only visible to you.