No matter what you call to the breading station—chicken-fried steak, country-fried steak, Milanese, wiener schnitzel, or breaded cutlet—there seems to be something irresistibly alluring about a piece of meat that has been prepared until it is thin and soft, submerged in savory bread crumbs as well as beaten egg, and then fried till the covering is crunchy enough just to shatter when you bite into it.
Unfortunately, the majority of us struggle to make a chicken-fried steak that is truly delectable at residence. Working on a dish just to discover that the coating lacks flavour, is mushy, or does not uniformly cover the meat is dispiriting. Thankfully, mouth-watering breaded cutlets are easily accessible. You simply need to understand how to create them. If you want, then you can get yourself a breading table or breading station which will help you a lot.
Thin That Meat Up For Breading Station
Regardless of whether the meat you bought is already fairly thin, you should utilize a mallet (or a heavy pan) to pound it until it is uniformly thin. The meat would then cook more uniformly if there are no lumps or bumps, which means you’ll get more contact area for a more crunchy covering and smoothen the protein fibres within the meat.
Bonus: This is a fantastic substitute for experiencing road rage.
Season Wisely and Frequently
The appeal of the bread cutlet is that any type of meat could be used (indeed, you must use any type of meat; breading station truly prime beef would’ve been revolting). Therefore, you must be cautious when adding multiple layers of seasoning to your bread meat.
The more textures of seasoning you add, the tastier the final product will be when it is cooking and eaten. After the meat has been tenderising, I want to season it, and then I like to add flavour to the coatings a bit more. After it has been fried, I also prefer to add a bit more salt. See more below on that.
Repeatedly Coat the Meat
To ensure that the breadcrumbs will firmly abide on the surface and that your meat will be perfectly crunchy, you must coat it with the meat in several layers. If you’re avoiding gluten and/or wheat, you could substitute corn starch, tapioca starch, or potato starch in place of the flour, beaten egg, as well as breadcrumbs when coating the object (good gluten-free subs include any kind of nut flour, cornmeal, or quinoa flour.) Make sure to pat the meat dry if you determine to season it along with salt (also known as brining) before dredging it in flour. As soon as it strikes the frying pan, any extra moisture causes sogginess.
To give the flour a deeper flavour and a more appealing colour, I would like to add a small amount of salt and some paprika. It’s also nice to add some dried thyme. Much more kick is added by combining a spoonful of grated Parmesan or a teaspoon of mustard powder with the breadcrumbs. If I’m missing those components, I generally just season the meat, pat it dry, and afterwards, for flavour, add a little salt and pepper to the flour and breadcrumbs.
Apply A Thick, But Not Excessive, Coat
Ensure the cutlet is in each crevice of your flour bowl before placing it there. On the opposite side, repeat. There ought to be a thin, even layer of white dust covering the cutlet. Check your meat for any clotted or caked-on areas after dredging it through the flour. Simply pinch each corner of the meat among your forefingers and thumbs, as well as start shaking off any extra flour over the bowl or sink if necessary.
The egg tends to come next. If the egg on its own seems almost too thick and viscous, or if you don’t have plenty of egg to coat all of your cutlets, you could add a little water or milk to thin it out. Soak each side of the meat into the beaten egg. Grab the meat up while allowing the extra to drip off. Just enough egg should be used to confirm that the breadcrumbs, the next layer, truly adhere, but not to the topic where it controls the cutlet from becoming nicely crispy for food lovers.
Put Pressure on the Meat to Form Your Crumb Coating
Prepare your breadcrumbs in a dish which is larger than your cutlet, arranging them in an even, thick layer. This makes it easy to ensure that the breadcrumbs completely cover the surface of your cutlet and saves you time and disappointment. Lay your cutlet on top of the crumbs, and afterwards, solidly press the meat into the crumbs with your hand to ensure that they adhere.
After that, switch and press once more on the opposite side. Push them hard! To make sure I don’t have any empty spaces if I’m cooking more than one cutlet, I truly go back and repeat the entire breadcrumb procedure, beginning with the first cutlet.
Final Words
In combination with all-purpose flour, cornstarch tends to help inhibit the growth of gluten, resulting in a crispier flour coating. It also absorbs moisture (from frying and the chicken), resulting in a crispier covering.
