Crunchy Garlic Lemon Chicken Cutlets

Last Friday night my friend Lynn and I made this for 35 people. It was kind of hideous. The final product was terrific as was the game party it was served at but, man, it was a lot of work three-step breading and frying all those cutlets. My house had that cooking smell for days. And yet, I had to make it again tonight because it's so dang good. That and I ended up with about 16 extra pounds of chicken. I'm such an amateur. 

But if you're just making it for four people it's a snap. Make the sauce, set up your breading station and it will be dinner in about 15 minutes. The leftovers are great, too. 

Crunchy Garlic Lemon Chicken Cutlets

Makes 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4 - 1/2" thickness (hint: ask the meat counter to do it for you)
1 cup flour
2 eggs, whisked
1 cup Panko crumbs
4 tablespoons (or more) olive oil for frying

Lemon Garlic Sauce

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Sauce: Combine all ingredients except parsley in small saucepan and boil for 3-4 minutes. Stir in parsley and set aside.

Put flour, eggs and Panko into 3 separate, shallow dishes. Heat large saute/fry pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Salt and pepper chicken breasts, then dredge:

1. Into flour, shake off excess
2. Into egg wash, let excess drip off
3. Into panko, patting to adhere

Fry, about 4 minutes per side until browned, crisped and cooked through. You may need to adjust heat if it's cooking too fast (i.e., getting too dark too soon or not sizzling a little on the sides). Set aside on a plate, drizzle half of sauce over and pass the rest. Serve with pasta, bread or potatoes to soak up the extra sauce.