Does anything hit quite the same as a perfectly golden-brown, freshly fried, crispy piece of chicken? Not in my world. Marry it with a mound of garlicky, herby, creamy, crispy salad and oh… what have we here?
My new hyperfixation meal?
This recipe just feels like I’m sitting on a street-patio in a cool part of Chicago with an overpriced cocktail in hand. Except I’m on hour 3 of Bluey today, and it’s 4:45 PM, and we have to leave in 30 minutes to drop my oldest off at tennis on the way to my middle’s soccer then go pick up the youngest for his hockey practice and get my oldest on the way back to get my middle.
So… exactly like sitting on a street-patio in a cool part of Chicago with an overpriced cocktail in hand.
But let a girl have her beautifully golden, crispy, crunchy, tender chicken tossed in rich garlic butter with the garlicky-herby buttermilk salad on the side, OK?!
You’ll love this as much as I do, I promise you that.
Let’s make it.
Crispy Garlicky Chicken with Herby Buttermilk Salad
Crispy Garlicky Chicken
~1 pound thin-cut chicken breasts (or regular breasts pounded thin)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
Neutral frying oil (canola or avocado oil)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
Freshly cracked black pepper
Garlicky Buttermilk Dressing
⅓ cup buttermilk (or milk)
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
Juice of ½ lemon
Fresh dill, chopped, about 1-2 tsp.
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Salad
2 large heads romaine, chopped and washed
½ red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
Lots of fresh Parmesan, grated
Prep the chicken. If needed, pound breasts between plastic wrap to about ¼ inch thick. Set up a dredging station: flour on plate one, whisked eggs on plate two, panko mixed with 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper on plate three. Dredge each cutlet in flour, then egg, then press firmly into panko on all sides. Set on a sheet pan and rest 10–15 minutes — this helps the coating stick and crisp.
Make the dressing. Whisk together buttermilk, Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper until smooth. Taste and adjust. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Fry the chicken. Heat about ¼ inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Fry cutlets 3–4 minutes per side until deeply golden. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Once all the chicken is fried, pour off excess oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan. Reduce heat to low. Add butter and garlic and cook 30–45 seconds, just until fragrant. Return chicken to the pan and spoon the garlicky butter over each cutlet. Remove from heat.
Assemble. Lightly toss romaine with a few spoonfuls of dressing. Place a cutlet on each plate, pile the cold salad directly on top, and finish with extra Parmesan. Serve immediately.