The speed of life never ceases to amaze. Thank goodness I have an arsenal of fast-cooking dinner recipes to keep pace. Favorites such as pasta, pork tenderloin, skirt steak, even the occasional omelet.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts rarely make the list — too dry, boring, predictable. That is, until my cutlet epiphany. Sliced or pounded thin, cutlets made from the aforementioned chicken saves the day. They'll cook quickly and evenly so dryness can be avoided. Their mild flavor means they're ripe for additions readily on hand such as briny olives, garlic or lemon.
One of my favorite combinations is a chicken riff on veal saltimbocca — the classic Italian dish of thin veal cutlets topped with prosciutto and sage leaves. Cookbook writer Claudia Roden, in her now-classic "The Good Food of Italy" (Knopf, 1989), uses a wooden pick to hold the components together before a fast sear in a hot pan. Then she tosses wine and butter into a pan for a quick sauce. Brilliant. The recipe never ceases to impress.
Saltimbocca literally means "jump in the mouth." I'm not sure if the combination received this moniker from its flavor or the superfast transition from pan to mouth. No matter, I now make it with thin slices of boneless skinless chicken breast so it's super-accessible.
To make life easy, I look for chicken cutlets in the meat case at the grocery store. Alternatively, use a very sharp knife to carefully slice breasts horizontally in half. A medium chicken breast should yield a slice about ½- to ⅓-inch thick in the middle. Then place a piece of plastic wrap over the breast and very lightly pound it so the whole slice is about ¼-inch thick. You can do this all in advance; simply wrap every slice individually in plastic and tuck the slices into a container for up to two days.
I like to lightly dredge the cutlets in seasoned flour to promote browning and to aid in moisture retention. This step should be done before you prepare the other ingredients or start heating the pan.
The secret to cooking the cutlets is twofold: hot and fast. A large nonstick skillet works wonders and keeps the need for fat to a minimum. Heat the pan over high heat. Then reduce the heat to medium, add some oil, then the cutlets in a single, uncrowded layer. It only takes two minutes to develop a golden sear so the cutlet can be flipped and finished, usually two minutes more. Remove them from the pan, tent with foil and keep them warm while you make a pan sauce from the drippings.
Once you nail the chicken cutlet browning technique, use it for turkey and veal cutlets. Both of the following recipes also taste great made with boneless skinless chicken thighs (pounded slightly to even them out).
For the chicken saltimbocca, cheese over the cutlets adds a rich, salty complexity. Choose provolone for the cheesiest dish or fresh mozzarella for milky goodness. The pan sauce simply uses white wine, butter, a spritz of lemon and fresh sage. Pile baby arugula over the cooked cutlets, then pour the pan sauce over everything to gently wilt the greens. Serve cooked egg noodles alongside or with crusty bread to mop up everything.
The second recipe combines briny olives with artichokes and canned tomatoes for an attractive dish that knows no season. Perfect for this time of year. I like to serve it with a pile of orzo.
Advice for the cook: This is fast cooking — have everything ready by the stove. Have someone else set the table. Don't let anyone interrupt. Then enjoy the process.
