chicken cutlets, or farrakh panne are a great addition to any dish (literally anything). the addition of the onion and garlic marinating step is unique to egyptians, as far as i know (please let me know if otherwise) and is a game changer. this is my mothers recipe and we use it to accompany macarona béchamel or as the base for our chicken parmigniana (you can modify the amount of onion or garlic you use depending on preference in this case).
serves six
1 large onion, grated to a pulp
3 cloves of garlic, minced finely
3 lb of chicken breast
3 eggs
3 tbsp of milk
italian seasoned breadcrumbs
oil for frying (I use corn oil)
salt and pepper to taste
slice your chicken into cutlets, pound thin if necessary (the cutlets shouldn’t be too thick). add the grated onion, garlic, salt and pepper to chicken and mix thoroughly and allow to sit for at least an hour. the longer it marinates the more oniony it gets! in a bowl, beat your eggs and milk and set aside, and spread out your seasoned breadcrumbs on a flattened surface (a plate or tray). if not using pre-seasoned breadcrumbs (i like italian seasoned) add your own spices–garlic and onion powder, dried oregano etc. as you preheat your oil in a pan, prepare the cutlets for frying. begin by dipping the cutlet in the egg, then coat in breadcrumbs. fry evenly on both sides till chicken cutlet is a golden brown.
tips
don’t pack too many cutlets in your pan at a time. this leads to overly oily cutlets. also, always drain your cutlets in a colander or on paper towels. if making a lot of cutlets at a time, consider using two pans or change your oil to avoid blackened/burnt chicken.
Book of Dishes 