Sautéed Panko-Crusted Turkey Cutlets

An Easy, Crispy Accompaniment to Salads and Vegetables

Sautéed Panko-Crusted Turkey Cutlets

An Easy, Crispy Accompaniment to Salads and Vegetables

Panko are light, crunchy breadcrumbs, popular in Japanese cuisine and now easy to find in our markets.  Using panko instead of store-bought or homemade fresh breadcrumbs give turkey cutlets a crunchier, less greasy crust.  I've added a little finely grated cheese to the panko crumbs for a very subtle salty cheese flavor. 

These crusted, pan-sautéed turkey cutlets are very flavorful on their own but they also are a great partner to tomato sauce, sautéed mushrooms, or any cooked vegetable that has lots of flavor.  Once cooked, these cutlets can also be sliced into wide strips and added to a Caesar or other green salad.

Tip:  Use your food processor to grate the cheese into very fine bits which work better in this recipe than the little soft flakes produced by a microplane rasper.

Tip:  Turkey is both economical as well as low in fat.  Many butchers sell fresh turkey breast cutlets, including excellent ones by Shady Brook Farms (4 to a package, about $6.00/pound). 

You could easily do this recipe with chicken breasts or pork chops but make sure that you first pound them down to 1/2 inch thickness before proceeding.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Place the flour, beaten eggs, and panko each into their own wide shallow bowl or baking dish (you're setting up an assembly line of coatings).
  2. Add the grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese to the panko and use a fork to gently combine so that you have a panko/cheese mixture.
  3. Season the turkey cutlets with salt and pepper.
  4. Working with one cutlet at a time, place a cutlet first in the flour, turning it to coat completely; shake off the excess.
  5. Dip the flour-coated cutlet into the beaten eggs, letting any excess drip off.
  6. Finally, place the egg-coated cutlet into the panko/cheese mixture, turning it and pressing the crumbs into the turkey to coat evenly.
  7. Repeat with the other 3 cutlets. Lay them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes (this helps the coating adhere).
  8. In a large fry pan or sauté pan (12" to 14", large enough to hold all 4 cutlets at once) over medium heat, heat the olive oil and butter until the butter foams.
  9. Place the turkey cutlets into the pan and cook slowly over medium-low heat until golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes a side. Keep the heat at a low enough level so that the surface of the coated cutlets doesn't burn before the turkey has fully cooked.
  10. Turn and cook the other side, again for 6 to 7 minutes.
  11. Remove from the fry pan and serve.

 

The cooked cutlets can be kept in a warm (325° F) oven for about 10 minutes before serving.  Don't keep there too long, however, because while the surface will stay crunchy, the meat will dry out.
 

Category

Tags

TurkeyPanko

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