Chicken Cutlets with Pickles

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make cutlets with pickles? Gather all the ingredients. For the cutlets, it's best to use day-old or slightly stale white bread; good deli-style pickles work well here, and pick up fresh parsley and chicken breast too. You can use store-bought ground chicken, but grinding it yourself gives a better result.

2. Step 2:

   

   Put the slices of white bread in a bowl, pour the pickle brine over them, and give them time to soak and soften. This soaked crumb is what makes the cutlets juicier later on.

3. Step 3:

   

   Rinse the parsley thoroughly and let it dry off a bit. Meanwhile, cut the pickles into small pieces and put them in a blender. Coarsely chop the dried parsley and add it to the blender as well. Blend on high until you have a bright green purée.

4. Step 4:

   

   Rinse the chicken breast thoroughly, pat it dry, and trim it: remove any membranes, tendons, and other bits you don't want. Cut the trimmed chicken into small pieces and run it once through a meat grinder fitted with a medium plate.

5. Step 5:

   

   Add the fragrant green purée to the bowl of ground chicken. Take the soaked bread, squeeze out the excess brine, and mash it well with your hands, then add it to the meat as well.

6. Step 6:

   

   Mix everything together thoroughly, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This lets the bread absorb all the meat juices. When the time is up, take the bowl out, remove the wrap, and mix the chicken mixture well once more, working it with your hands to aerate it.

7. Step 7:

   

   With hands dampened in cold water, scoop up a portion of the mixture, shape the first cutlet, and place it in the hot skillet. Shape the rest the same way and fry them on both sides until golden brown. Because the pan is hot, the surface of the meat sets quickly and keeps the cutlets from falling apart. To cook them through inside, though, fry over medium heat — that way you get a nice crust and no raw centers.