I had a bag of macadamia nuts in the kitchen, chicken and cranberries in the fridge. This resulted.
4 chicken cutlets
handful of macadamia nuts, finely chopped
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 egg
vegetable oil (your frying favorite)
salt and pepper to taste
For cranberry sauce
1/2 bag fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Heat over medium until sugar dissolves, then add cranberries (be careful – this can splash you). Put a lid on the saucepan for the first two minutes, or until all cranberries have popped, otherwise you’ll have red juice on your shirt and stovetop. Once the cranberries have popped, uncover and let simmer for another eight minutes, or until thickened slightly. Remove from heat.
In large frying pan, heat a thin layer of oil, generous enough for pan frying, but certainly not high enough to engulf the chicken cutlets. I use medium to medium-high heat.
In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and macadamia nuts. In a second bowl, whisk one egg with fork tines. Dip each cutlet in egg wash and coat both sides thoroughly with breadcrumb mixture.
When oil is hot, place the chicken in the frying pan (use tongs – you don’t want to get burned by the oil). I fry the chicken for about four minutes on the first side, then turn it over and cook until the chicken is cooked through. Feel free to turn once more to complete cooking, if necessary. Once the meat is done, transfer to a clean plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
Serve each cutlet with a spoonful of cranberry sauce.
Serves 2 or 4, depending on hunger level and side dishes!
