Wooed by Wu With Parm Crusted Cutlets

Today is exactly two weeks before my due date. I'm officially the size of a one-bedroom apartment in Jersey City. Really. A couple with an IKEA couch, a queen bed and a medium-sized dog can live comfortably inside of my belly. Apparently so can my baby, who shows no signs of exiting any time soon.

That's fine by me. I'm feeling uncharacteristically patient. No doubt I'm crazy excited for Fred and I to meet this kid and begin our life as a band of three. But I'm also savoring these last weeks of being a family of two. Oh, then there's the idea of labor. That shit hurts. I know 'cause we took the childbirth classes, the ones with the real life films of women giving birth. It looks like, as Fred put it, "...at least 12 hours of suck."

I'll step up to the plate when it comes, but there's no rush. I put myself on a self-mandated maternity leave so I can enjoy some work-free days filled with requent naps, long lunches with friends and diving into the latest Harry Potter. Fred and I are going for 9PM dinners at East Village restaurants that aren't kid-friendly, since this will soon be a treat rather than just something we do. Other times we cook summery, dig-in meals for one other.

One such meal was a plate of crispy, cheesy heaven called Parmesan Crusted Chicken Cutlets by way of Sandra Wu, Associate Editor for Cook's Illustrated. I've become quite a fan of the Wu. Perhaps because she leans towards cooking wholesome comfort food. With about 30 lbs of kicky baby inside of me and Barney Rubble ankles, comfort is key.

Two tips are essential for making these turn out just right. One is the coating process. I took three bowls and dipped the cutlets from the farthest one to the closest one. The first bowl is flour with FINELY grated Parm mixed in. It must be grated down to an almost powder-like consistency. The second is egg whites and chives whisked to foaminess. The third is Parm that is COARSELY grated, then blended with a whiff of flour.

The second important step is the frying process. They have to be browned slowly in order to ensure maximum cheese and chicken flavor and with just a tad of oil. Now, "slowly" for chicken cutlets means that you turn down the heat to medium so that they cook for 3 minutes on each side as opposed to 10 seconds. You still get a relatively quick meal.


You will love these so much, your plates won't even have to been rinsed off before putting them in the dishwasher. They are most excellent summer fare, crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside. Generous squirts of tart, bright lemon cut through the richness of the cheese, and a couple of summer vegetable sides round out the meal very well. I cut up some about-to-burst tomatoes and dressed them with basil, olive oil and Maldron salt, then parboiled green beans and tossed them with roasted slivered almonds and a pat of butter.

If I keep feeding my baby like this, he's never gonna wanna leave my belly.


Parmesan Crusted Chicken Cutlets
(by Sandra Wu for Cooks Illustrated, March & April 2007)

Serves 4


4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 8 oz. each, trimmed
Table salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup plus 1 TBL of all-purpose flour
1/2 oz of Parmesan Cheese, FINELY GRATED (like the stuff from the Green Can)
3 large egg whites
2 TBL of fresh chives (optional)
2 cups COARSELY SHREDDED Parmesan Cheese (see my pic above)
4 teaspoons of olive oil
1 lemon, cut into wedges


1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap and pound to even 1/4 inch thickness. Pat dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Set wire rack on rimmed baking sheet. Which together 1/4 cup of four and finely grated Parm in pie plate. In medium bowl, whisk egg whites and chives until slightly foamy. In second pie plate, combine 2 cups coarsely shredded Parm and remaining TBL of flour.

3. Using tongs and working with 1 cutlet at a time, coat chicken in flour mix, shaking off excess. Then dip in the egg white mixture, letting excess drip off. Coat chicken with shredded Parmesan mix, pressing gently so the cheese adheres. Put on wire rack and coat the rest of the cutlets.

4. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Place 2 cutlets in skillet and reduce heat to medium. Cook on one side until cheese is pale golden brown, about 3 minutes. While chicken is cooking, us a thin nonstick spatula to gently separate any cheesy edges that have melted together. Carefully flip cutlets and continue to cook until cheese is pale golden brown on second side and meat is no longer pink in center, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Wipe out skillet with paper towel and return to medium heat. Add remaining 2 tsps of oil and cook the other cutlets. Serve with lemon wedges.