Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Lemon Pepper Chicken Cutlets served Sub Sandwich Style

When you have some chicken breasts on hand and not a lot of time to get a meal ready - this is a huge time saver.  I took some chicken breasts and cut them into cutlets (slightly larger than chicken strips, but roughly 1/3" thick).  With a store bought marinade and a few spices, this was actually done in about 30 minutes.  Including marinading time.

One thing to know when marinading chicken: if you use an assertive or acidic marinade (which is anything citrus or acid based), you should never marinade boneless chicken more than 15-30 minutes.  I went with 10-15 minutes on the chicken and got picture perfect results.  If chicken marinades too long, it can become mealy and not brown properly when it's baked or pan-fried.

I'm sure this would have been great on its own, but I love using it as a substitute for deli meat.  It works well in hot or cold sammies.  When I served this hot, I topped the chicken with provolone and cheddar cheese, carmelized onions, and a brush of SBR BBQ sauce.  For the classic sub, I used good mayo, shredded lettuce, thin sliced onion, and seasoned the chicken with a few grinds of white pepper and a dash of basil.

If you make a double batch - this recipe freezes beautifully for about 6-8 weeks and comes in very handy on those days when you forget to pull something out of the freezer for dinner.  All you have to do is put the chicken (while in a freezer or vacuum sealed bag) in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 30-45 minutes, turning over every 15 minutes to fully thaw.  Grab some buns or french rolls, I like to stop at Jimmy Johns for their day old bread, and dinner is served.

2 chicken breasts ($1.98)
2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning ($.10)
1/2 tsp. black or white pepper ($.05)
1/2 tsp. flour ($.05)
1/2 C. lemon pepper marinde (free after coupons)
2 T. olive oil ($.05)
2-16" loaves French bread ($1.00)

Cut chicken breasts into cutlets.

Combine lemon pepper seasoning, pepper, and flour and season the chicken well.
Whisk together olive oil and lemon pepper marinade.
Marinade chicken for 10-15 minutes.

Add 2 T. vegetable oil to a preheated skillet and sear the chicken breast over a medium-high heat.  Cook for 4-5 minutes, when chicken is browned, flip over and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.
Slice into thin pieces and serve in a sandwich.

Serves well hot or cold.

Yields: 6 servings (as a sandwich ingredient)
Cost: $3.23
Cost per serving: $.54

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