Chicken Cutlets

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Cutlets, or croquettes, are my comfort food. I totally love these crispy fried patties packed with flavor. One bite and I’m hooked. Especially homemade ones, nothing can beat homemade! This is our family staple for Iftar, an all-time favorite with the kids.

Chicken Cutlets

Ingredients

2 cups chicken, boiled and minced

3 stalk curry leaves, finely chopped (optional)

1/3 cup cilantro (fresh coriander) leaves, finely chopped

2 ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, crushed

2 teaspoon garlic, crushed

2 large onions, finely chopped

5 small fresh green chilies, finely chopped

1 ½ teaspoon pepper powder, freshly ground

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups breadcrumbs

Salt, to taste

2 medium potatoes, rinsed and peeled

2 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for deep frying (Canola is best for deep frying)

Directions

For preparing the chicken mince, use two pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cook with enough water, salt, a pinch of turmeric powder and 1/4 teaspoon pepper powder. Drain and cut up into very small pieces. Use a food processor to pulse-process the meat into small pieces, if you like. Set aside.

Boil the potatoes, seasoned with salt, until tender. Drain, peel and mash.

In a large nonstick pan over medium heat, fry the onions in 2 tablespoon oil until translucent. Stir in ginger, garlic, green chili and curry leaves, if using, and sauté for 2 minutes. Tip in chicken mince and cook, stirring gently, for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.  Now add the mashed potatoes and cilantro to the pan and mix well. Remove from heat and allow to stand until cool.

Roll into small balls and then flatten to shape. I used a cookie cutter for the heart shape. Don’t be shy to play around with shapes. You can make them round, oval, long narrow rectangles (fingers) or do any whimsical shape using a cookie cutter.

Bread cutlets one at a time. Dip in the beaten egg and shake off any excess for a thin coating. Next dip in the breadcrumbs to coat evenly. Place on a baking sheet for 20 minutes to allow the coating to dry before deep-frying.

At this point, cutlets can be chilled for up to 24 hours—no need to thaw before frying. Also, they can also be frozen up to 3 weeks—defrost completely before frying.

Heat oil in a large wok over medium-high heat. Carefully place a batch of 4-5 cutlets into the hot oil. As always with deep-frying, be sure you don't crowd the pan. If too many patties are added, the oil temperature will drop and the cutlet will absorb grease and become soggy instead of searing.  Fry until crisp and golden brown on all sides, turning over just once. Also, be sure you don't leave the cutlets in the oil for long. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup mixed with thinly sliced onions rings.