New York Times recipe: Crispy sour cream and onion chicken

Picture sour cream and onion dip slathered on chicken cutlets, dredged in panko bread crumbs, and fried until crisp like a potato chip, and you’ll envision this recipe.

The marinade doesn’t just deliver flavour here: the lactic acid in the sour cream also keeps the thin chicken breasts juicy.

Shower the crispy chicken with fresh chives and lemon juice, or, if you crave something creamy for dunking, pair it with a dip of sour cream, lemon juice and chives.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally (see tip) and pounded to roughly 3mm thick, or use 4 chicken cutlets (don’t split or pound)

salt and black pepper

½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

¼ cup thinly sliced chives (or 1 tbsp dried chives), plus more for serving

2 tbsp onion powder

2 cups panko bread crumbs

canola oil, for frying

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preparation:

Step 1 Pat chicken dry, and season both sides with salt and pepper.

Step 2 In a medium bowl, stir together the sour cream, chives and 1 tbsp onion powder. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat. (Chicken can sit in the marinade for up to 8 hours. Refrigerate, then let come to room temperature before cooking.)

Step 3 In a shallow bowl or lipped plate, stir together the panko and remaining 1 tbsp onion powder; season with salt and pepper.

Step 4 Working one at a time, press the chicken breasts into the panko, using your fingers to pack the panko onto both sides of the chicken, and place on a large plate or a sheet pan.

Step 5 Line a plate with paper towels. Heat 3mm canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Drop a piece of panko in: if it sizzles, the oil’s ready. Add a chicken cutlet (or two, if they can fit comfortably), and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to the paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding and heating more oil as needed, and removing excess panko from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Step 6 Serve chicken with more chives and lemon wedges for squeezing.

Serves 4

Total time: 35 minutes

TIP:

Freezing the chicken breasts for 15 minutes to firm them up will make slicing them through the middle easier.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.