When it comes to chicken there just isn’t anything more delicious than a juicy, crusty piece of finger-licking good fried chicken. This recipe is so yummy and is so versatile you can have it as a main dish, a side dish of pasta or salad, or even a filling for a sandwich!
Ingredients:
- 3 pound boneless, skinless uncooked chicken breasts
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- Canola oil to fill skillet over bottom and 1/2-inch up the sides of a large skillet
- 2 cups natural Maraschino cherries, drained
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup juice from the cherries
Procedure:
For the Candied Cherries:
- Put the juice and sugar in a heavy bottom pot and bring to a simmer (without stirring, just swirl the pot) for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the cherries and continue to simmer slowly for about 45 minutes, turning now and then. They will start to wrinkle and begin to look like candied cherries.
- When it gets to the 45-minute mark, use a candy thermometer to check the liquid. It should reach the softball stage (about 237°F/113°C).
- Remove from the heat and place on a tray. I used a silicone mat with good results.
- Use them as desired, keeping the extras in a sealed container in the refrigerator
For the Chicken Breast Cutlet:
- Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry with paper toweling. Cut each chicken half-breast horizontally across the center, making two equally-sized pieces of chicken.
- Place each piece of chicken on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap, and pound until the cutlet is about 1/2-inch thick. Sprinkle salt on both sides, so taste. Grind black pepper on both sides, to taste.
- When all chicken cutlets are pounded and seasoned, make a flat dish containing the flour and cornstarch, mixing well. Make a second flat dish containing eggs and water, whisking until combined. Make a third dish containing panko breadcrumbs.
- To coat chicken cutlets, use tongs to coat each side first with the flour mixture, then with the egg mixture, and finally the panko breadcrumb mixture. When all chicken cutlets are coated, heat 1/4-inch of canola oil in a large skillet until about 350 degrees (F).
- Using tongs, place coated cutlets into hot canola oil in batches until the chicken cutlet is cooked all the way through and is brown and crisp. Then remove from the skillet and place on a platter that is covered with paper toweling to drain.
- Continue this process until all chicken cutlets are done. Transfer Fried Chicken Cutlets from paper toweling to a nice serving platter.
- For plating, you can add some veggies you desire and add the chicken then side with candied cherries.
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