No need to reserve it for just one holiday a year! Turkey is lean, yummy and easy to prepare. A little extra effort to brine it will ensure it's moist through the frying process. Serving size is 1-2 cutlets per person.
Main Ingredient:
4-6 thinly sliced turkey cutlets, 4 oz each (You can use turkey breast meat or turkey tenderloin, cut into slices or strips. If they don't come thinly sliced, wrap them in plastic wrap and pound thin as you can with a meat mallet or heavy pan.)
NIGHT BEFORE - Ingredients for Brine:
2 cups apple cider
5 whole cloves
Two springs/branches fresh rosemary
2 Tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
TO COOK - Ingredients for Frying:
2 eggs whites
1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I used gluten-free rice crumbs)
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
Lemon wedges, for serving
Preparation:
The night before cooking the turkey, place the cutlets in a bowl and cover with apple cider. Mix in the cloves, rosemary , salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate. Before cooking, remove cutlets from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel.
Cook:
- Add the butter and olive oil to a large skillet or frying pan and melt over medium-high heat.
- Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a bowl.
- In another bowl, add the egg whites.
- Dip the turkey cutlets in the egg whites, then the breadcrumb mixture on both sides to coat well (shake off any excess).
- Add the cutlets to the pan and cook on both sides until golden brown and cooked through. Depending on how thin they are, this will probably be 4-6 minutes a side.
Serve:
Squirt a wedge of lemon over the fried cutlet before eating. So good with traditional sides like mashed potatoes/gravy and brussels sprouts with bacon (recipe on this site under Sides). Also fabulous on a bun -- I'd suggest a smear of chipotle mayo and crisp lettuce.
A Little Backstory:
The turkey we made for Thanksgiving was only 13 pounds for 12 people -- but we also had a spiral ham and about 50,000 side dishes, so we figured we'd have plenty leftover for sandwiches and lunches. We brined it for two days in a salt, apple cider and white wine base with spices, making it so tender and amazing that our guests descended on the carcass and ate every last bit.
It's been a few weeks and I still have turkey envy. I'm not one to roast a whole bird on a random weekend, so my quest was to figure out an easy any-day turkey recipe that's casual, but still has the briney goodness and flavor of a holiday meal.
Enjoy!
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