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Today, on my Mom’s 8th death anniversary, I’d like to honor her with this simple dish, a variation of her Fish Sticks recipe from the original Let’s Cook with Nora, which was renamed Parmesan Fish Sticks in the updated cookbook. I tried the same recipe with chicken breast fillets and was delighted with the results. Decided to pair these Parmesan Chicken Cutlets with a light pasta that I named LGBP Spaghetti (haha!). Want to find out what it stands for? 

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Chicken breast fillets (Photo courtesy of Nina Daza Puyat)

It’s a long recipe because it’s written in detail, but it’s really easy to make! Serve the cutlets with ranch dressing if you want an extra dipping sauce on the side.

Ingredients

4 whole chicken breast fillets

¼ cup fresh milk or low-fat milk

¼ tsp. fine salt

1/8 tsp. ground white pepper

SEASONED FLOUR:

¾ cup All Purpose Flour, sifted

1 tsp. fine salt

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

EGG WASH:

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. milk

PARMESAN BREAD CRUMBS:

1 cup Japanese bread crumbs

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 Tbsps. chopped fresh parsley

½ - 1 cup cooking oil, for frying

Flour, egg wash, parmesan bread crumbs (Photo courtesy of Nina Daza Puyat)

Procedure

PARMESAN CHICKEN CUTLETS

1. Using a sharp knife, cut breast fillet in half by slicing horizontally across the meat, starting from the thicker end. Do not cut all the way through to make 1 big butterfly fillet or cut all the way through to make two thin fillets.

2. Pour milk into a wide, shallow bowl then season with salt and pepper. Soak chicken fillets in this mixture for 15-20 minutes in the refrigerator. This step plumps up the chicken and makes it juicy.

3. Meanwhile, prepare three shallow bowls. In the first bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper. In the second bowl, beat eggs with milk. In the third bowl, combine Japanese bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and parsley.

4. Transfer chicken fillets into a strainer to drain off milk. Take one fillet and dredge on both sides with flour. Continue with the rest of the fillets.

5. Next, dip each fillet into the egg wash, then into the parmesan breadcrumbs. Make sure both sides are coated well. Continue with the rest of the fillets.

6. Set breaded chicken cutlets on a tray. Cover with plastic cling wrap and leave in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to allow coating to set.

7. When ready to fry, heat cooking oil in a large frying pan. Pan fry each chicken cutlet until golden brown, turning once. Set on a colander lined with paper towels to allow excess oil to drip. Serve Parmesan Chicken Cutlets with LGBP Sauce.

LGBP SAUCE:

(Lemon, Garlic, Butter, Parsley)

1 lemon

½ cup butter

1 Tbsp. grated fresh garlic

¼ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup pasta water

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

400 g. spaghetti noodles, cooked al dente (reserve pasta water)

1. First, zest the lemon using a microplane zester or fine grater to get about 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Set aside.

2. Next, supreme the lemon. Cut off both ends of the lemon using a sharp knife. Set lemon down on a chopping board, cut side down. Slice off the peel with a knife in a downward motion, following the curve of the fruit and exposing all the sides. Cut into the lemon segments, avoiding the membrane that separates them. These are called lemon supremes. Slice lemon segments into smaller bits and save any lemon juices in a bowl. Set aside.

3. Make the LGBP sauce. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic, swirl for 5-10 seconds, then turn off heat. Garlic may be cooked longer if a milder garlicky flavor is preferred.

4. Add lemon segments, half of the lemon juice and lemon zest.

5. Season with garlic powder, salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

6. Next, add pasta water and fresh parsley. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and more lemon juice, if desired. It should have a good balance of sour, salty, and butter-garlic flavor.

7. Pour warm lemon-butter sauce into a large bowl and toss in freshly cooked spaghetti noodles. Transfer pasta to a platter and garnish with more fresh parsley. Serve LGBP sauce with Parmesan Chicken Cutlets.