Low-Effort, High-Reward Crispy Chicken For *Those* Nights

Sometimes, you have one of those days. You know, when you spilled your coffee or forgot your phone charger or the neighbor’s dog yapped all night long. The last thing you want to worry about is how you’re making dinner.

Deep breath! I have the perfectly crispy, low-effort, high-reward, stress-relieving solution for you—a chicken cutlet that can stand up to even the best schnitzel.

Our own Merrill Stubbs developed this chicken cutlet recipe as an answer to her now-husband’s allegiance to wiener schnitzel.

“Ina Garten first introduced me to the notion of adding grated parmesan and fresh herbs to the breadcrumbs when making cutlets, and some time ago I decided I preferred panko to plain breadcrumbs because of the extra crunch,” she says.

Here’s where the de-stressing begins: cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound them as thin as possible. (Merrill uses a rolling pin—very cathartic.) From there, the chickens hop on a few pebbles get a nice dredge, and then spend just 5 minutes in a screaming hot skillet. Before you know it, crunchy, tender comfort food sits on the table.

To make sure the cutlets brown evenly, Merrill adds a knob of butter to the vegetable oil before frying, and drains the chicken on a paper towel. To balance out the meal, she also recommends serving with some sort of spud or green. I’m partial to a well-dressed salad, but go for buttery noodles if you need full carb-comfort. Enjoy your cutlet and remember tomorrow is a new day.

What do you cook when you've had a rough day? Tell us your self-care meals below!