Easy, Delicious, Baked Chicken Cutlets w/ Treasures of Tuscany Olive Oil

While I haven’t been blogging much over the summer, I have DEFINITELY been eating…and doing a little cooking as well!

I first perfected this cutlet recipe a few months back. I wanted crispy cutlets, but there is nothing worse than standing over a frying pan. So, baking is the solution! I am not going to lie and say this is more healthy than frying, it is pretty equal. But I did use Olive Oil, so I can feel good about that!

Let’s talk Olive Oil for a second. A couple of weeks back, I was having a conversation about olive oil. I also had heard an NPR show on the subject, as well as had just read a chapter in the book Fat, about olive oil. Interesting fact, Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the ONLY oil that is purely pressed olives. No pits, no extra. If you move into Light Virgin Olive Oil, you don’t know what you are getting. So always splurge on the EVOO.

Well, you can say it had been on my mind. Well, as if on que, a sample bottle of Treasures of Tuscany Oil showed up in my mail box! Treasures of Tuscany Extra Virgin Olive Oil comes from the oldest oil press still operating in the province of Pistoia, Italy (region of Tuscany, Italy). The Oil Press was established within the ancient walls of the Castle of Larciano by the middle of the 10th century.Pretty cool, huh?!

Another cool fact, Treasures of Tuscany Epicurean Voyage, LLC is a minority and women owned business. I like that!

But none of that matters if it doesn’t taste good. So, I pulled out Eta, heated her up, and covered the bottom of the pan for the “Treasure”. Within minutes, the smell of fresh olives filled the house! It was amazing! I have never used an olive oil that fragrant before! And, I was not disappointed because that scent definitely translated into taste! The cutlets had the most delicious, delicate, hint of olive oil.

Cooking is really where this oil shined. It was not quite so fragrant or tasty when it was first out of the bottle. But when it comes to cooking, I would say it is at the top of the game!

What is your favorite oil to cook with?

Chicken Cutlet Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb split, boneless chicken breast (pounded to desired thinness…I like mine VERY thin, about 1/2 inch thick)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 room temperature eggs
• 2 cups bread crumbs (I use seasoned, whole wheat breadcrumbs)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Seasoning (I use Dave Eats Tabo Salt and Adobo Chicken Seasoning)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
• Pour the olive oil into a deep pan. Pour enough that when you add the cutlets, the oil will go half way up the side of the cutlet. About 1/4 inch of oil
• Sprinkle your cutlets with a light seasoning of your choice. Rub the seasoning into the cutlets.
• Place cutlets into a 1 Gallon Zip Lock bag
• Sprinkle the cutlets with the flour
• Close bag and shake until the cutlets are coated with a very thing layer of flour
• In a separate bowl, beat your 2 eggs
• On a separate plate, pour half of your bread crumbs
• One at a time, dip the cutlet into the beaten egg, making sure it is fully covered
• Allow excess egg to drip off of the cutlet, then lay the cutlet on the breadcrumbs and cover it entirely
• Hold the cutlet up so excess crumbs fall off
• Place the cutlet in the oiled pan
• Repeat with remaining cutlets, adding more breadcrumbs as necessary
• When all of your cutlets are breaded and in the pan, place the pan in the pre-heated oven
• After 15 minutes, flip the cutlets
• Continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your cutlet.
• Remove cutlets to a plate lined with paper towel
• Serve with pasta, risotto, caper lemon sauce or on a sandwich….whatever you like!