Nigella Lawson’s crunchy chicken cutlets are flattened chicken escalopes coated in mustard, cinnamon and crushed cornflakes, fried crisp and served with rocket, tomatoes and lemon. It serves 2, from her book Simply Nigella.
She says she could have called them Cornflake-Crunchy Chicken Cutlets, since the crisp coating comes not from breadcrumbs but from cornflakes. That’s especially handy if you want a gluten-free crunch, though she advises checking the cornflake packet to be sure.
If you can’t buy ready-beaten escalopes, Nigella has you bash chicken breasts flat between cling film with a rolling pin, which she calls a gratifying way to de-stress at the end of a long day.
Nigella Lawson Crunchy Chicken Cutlets
Course: Dinner, LunchCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy2
servings20
minutes6
minutes410
kcal26
minutesNigella’s quick cutlets from Simply Nigella: flattened chicken in a mustard-and-cinnamon coat, crumbed in crushed cornflakes with paprika, fried crisp and served with rocket, tomatoes and lemon. Serves two.
Ingredients
2 chicken escalopes (or breast fillets), 200 to 300g total
70g Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic (peeled and finely grated or minced)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg
75g cornflakes
1½ teaspoons paprika (or pimentón picante)
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 lemon (cut into wedges)
cherry tomatoes, to serve
rocket (or salad leaves of your choice), to serve
Directions
- Prep the chicken:Take the chicken out of the fridge so it isn’t too cold when you fry. If using breast fillets rather than escalopes, flatten them: place on a cling-film-lined board, one at a time, cover with more cling film and bash with a rolling pin.
- Make the marinade:In a shallow dish that fits both escalopes, whisk together the mustard, garlic, cinnamon and egg. Add the escalopes, turn to coat, and leave to sit while you make the “crumbs”.
- Crush the cornflakes:Break the cornflakes up by hand into coarse crumbs (not dust) in a bowl. Mix in the paprika with a fork.
- Coat:Dredge each egg-and-mustard-soaked escalope well in the cornflake crumbs, then sit on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes to dry out.
- Fry:Heat the oil in a cast-iron or heavy frying pan that fits the chicken neatly. When hot, fry for 3 minutes on the first side, turn carefully, and fry another 3 minutes, until cooked through (do check). Serve on plates strewn with tomatoes and rocket, with lemon wedges.
Notes
- (gluten-free crunch): The cornflake coating makes these gluten-free if you want, but check the cornflake packet, as some contain barley malt.
- (flattening the chicken): Bashing the breasts flat between cling film with a rolling pin is, Nigella says, a gratifying way to de-stress at the end of a long day.
- (dry before frying): Resting the coated escalopes on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes helps the coating set and fry crisper.
- (make ahead): Coat the escalopes, freeze on a lined baking sheet until solid, then bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes, and make sure they’re cooked through.
