Chicken Cutlets with Hunter’s Sauce

This recipe for Chicken Cutlets and Hunter’s Sauce evolved years ago when I worked on the recipe to mimic a restaurant dish I had liked in a German restaurant.

The chicken cutlets are prepared as you prepare schnitzel…. and smothered with the sauce.

Usually if you ask for Schnitzel with Hunter’s Sauce you would be served Jagerschnitzel… which is very different from this… this dish uses a French Hunter’s Sauce or Sauce Chasseur as the base for the sauce… it has a few changes from the classic sauce… I assure you… you will love this dish.

This dish is fairly quick and easy to prepare.

TIPS

This dish can be somewhat prepared ahead… I wouldn’t make this more than an hour ahead… you don’t want the cutlets to dry out in the warm oven.

To save time, you can prepare the chicken to just before the cooking step... store in the fridge until you are ready cook them.

To reheat the sauce simply heat in a saucepan over medium low heat… or microwave, stirring occasionally.

Make sure you dice the carrots fairly small…. I took small Belgian carrots and sliced them… smaller pieces cook quicker and look better for a terrific presentation. Be aware the carrots take a considerable amount of time to cook… you want them cooked but still with a little crunch.. not mushy.

This dish can be made with thin veal or pork cutlets instead of the chicken.

I figure on 2 cutlets per person.

I used a Sauvignon Blanc for the wine… Monkey Bay from New Zealand is good… or use a good American made one.

I served this with creamy garlic mashed potatoes….it was truly delicious… and nice enough to make for a Valentine’s Day celebration for two.






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Recipe: Chicken Cutlets with Hunter’s Sauce

All you need:

For the Chicken:

4-6 thin sliced boneless skinless chicken cutlets
Plain bread crumbs (amount depends on the quantity of cutlets)… about 1 cup for 4-6 cutlets
1 egg with a dash of milk, beaten
Flour seasoned with salt and pepper (amount depends on the quantity of cutlets)… about ½ cup for 4-6 cutlets
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup beef broth
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
¾ cup diced carrots, small dice
2 plum (Roma) tomatoes, seeded and chopped
½ lb. fresh mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
¾ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
Snipped chives (about 2 teaspoons)

All you need to do:

To make the Chicken Cutlets:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Set up 3 bowls (wide bowls, if possible).

In one bowl, mix the flour, salt and pepper.

In another bowl, beat the egg and milk until well combined.

In another bowl, add the bread crumbs.

Dip the cutlets, one at a time, first in the flour (make sure the entire cutlet is covered in flour).

Then dip the floured cutlet in the egg mixture.

Then dip the cutlet in the bread crumbs, covering the cutlet completely.

Place on a plate and repeat the steps until all cutlets have been breaded.

At this point, you can cover the cutlets and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to fry them.

When ready to fry, heat a large skillet on medium high heat.

Add the butter and olive oil to the skillet. Do not let butter burn.

When the butter is melted, add the cutlets to the skillet.

Cook until the bottom is brown and crispy (about 3 minutes).

Flip the cutlets and cook the other side until brown and crispy (about two minutes).

Remove cutlets from the skillet and lay on paper towels to pat off excess grease.

Put the cutlets on a oven proof plate and keep warm in the preheated oven while you cook the remaining cutlets. Cover loosely with foil…. you don’t want moisture from the steam to make the cutlets lose their crispiness.

You will be using the same skillet to make the sauce…see below.

To make the Sauce:

In a small saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter.

Add the flour and mix into a paste… let the paste cook for about a minute to cook off the flour taste.

Add 1 cup of beef broth and whisk vigorously until all lumps are out.

Cook the sauce over medium heat until it begins to thicken… whisking constantly.

Add the carrots and the tomatoes,let them cook in the sauce while you start the rest of the sauce in the skillet you made the chicken cutlets in, stirring occasionally.

Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet and melt over medium low heat.

Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until shallots are softened…do not brown.

Raise the heat to medium.

Add the mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes.

Add the wine and deglaze the pan (scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan).

Pour the sauce with the carrots into the skillet and stir until incorporated.

Cover and bring sauce to a boil and lower heat and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.

Remove the cover and let the sauce simmer and reduce for 10 minutes or until carrots are cooked.

Remove the warmed platter of chicken cutlets from the oven.

Remove the foil and spoon a generous amount of sauce over the cutlets.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and chives.

Serve immediately.

Serve the excess sauce at the table in small bowl with a ladle.