I hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day weekend! It always feels like Labor Day is supposed to flip some magical switch from summer to fall, but here in the Upstate, September usually has other plans. The calendar might be ready for sweaters and soup, but when it’s still blazing hot outside, I’m not.
So this week’s recipe is my compromise: a dinner that brings in a few of those first fall flavors without committing us to anything too heavy.
A crispy chicken cutlet topped with a cool apple-arugula salad checks all the boxes. The chicken is thin, golden and Parmesan-crusted, while the salad is crisp and fresh with Honeycrisp apple, peppery arugula, shaved Parmesan and a bright lemon-Dijon vinaigrette. It feels a little like fall, but still makes sense when the temperature outside says otherwise.
I’m a big salad person anyway, especially when it’s this hot. Spartanburg has several that I go back to again and again. The Thai cashew salad at Gerhard’s Cafe is a favorite, and Cribbs Kitchen’s Asian noodle salad is another great one, loaded with vegetables, rice noodles, cashews and plenty of crunch. And sometimes you just can’t beat an old-school chef salad. Deli Korner does theirs with turkey, ham, cheese, egg, tomatoes and green onions, but it’s their homemade dill dressing that makes it for me.
This recipe borrows a little from what I love about all of those: plenty of texture, something savory, something crisp and a dressing you actually want to keep eating.
The best part is that the cool salad goes directly on top of the warm chicken just before serving. You get crispy Parmesan breading, juicy chicken, tart apple and fresh greens in every bite. Add a chilled glass of sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio, and you’ve got a September dinner that acknowledges fall is coming without pretending it has actually arrived.
Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Apple-Arugula Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the chicken:
• 4 thin chicken breast cutlets
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Olive oil, for frying
For the apple-arugula salad:
• 4 cups baby arugula
• 1 large Honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup shaved Parmesan
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/3 cup toasted pecans
For the lemon-Dijon vinaigrette:
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Directions
1. Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the flour in one shallow dish. Whisk the eggs and water in a second. In a third, combine the panko, Parmesan, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
2. Coat each cutlet first in flour, then egg and finally the Parmesan-panko mixture, pressing gently so the coating sticks.
3. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until deeply golden, crisp and cooked through to 165 degrees. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
4. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, honey, salt and pepper. Toss the arugula, apple, red onion, Parmesan and pecans with just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat.
5. Place a warm chicken cutlet on each plate and pile the cool apple-arugula salad right on top. Finish with extra shaved Parmesan, cracked black pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
It’s crispy, cool, fresh and just fall-ish enough — exactly where I want my cooking to be in early September.
