Vij’s at Home: Butter Chicken Schnitzel
Taken from Vij’s at Home: Relax Honey by Meeru Dhalwala & Vikram Vij. Vancouver, British Columbia.
“Before he even owned a restaurant, Vikram vowed that he would never serve butter chicken. We have stuck to that vow in our 16 years, if for no other reason than there are plenty of restaurants already serving it. It also keeps us creative. The inspiration for this dish came at a local restaurant one night, when the girls asked for chicken nuggets from the kid’s menu. The next evening Vikram decided to show the girls what “real” chicken nuggets are – chicken schnitzel.”
Ingredients
Serves 6
Homestyle butter sauce
¼ cup cooking oil
2 to 3 tbsp crushed garlic (6 to 9 medium cloves)
1 small can tomato paste or ¾ cup crushed canned tomatoes
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin (or 1 tbsp if you are not using garam masala)
2 tsp garam masala (optional)
1 tsp ground coriander (optional)
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 ½ cups water
1 ½ cups whipping cream
Chicken Schnitzel
1 lbs boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut in 2 inch x 3 inch pieces
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup fine bread crumbs
2 eggs
½ to ¼ cup cooking oil
RECIPE
Homestyle butter sauce
Heat oil in a medium pot on medium for 1 minute. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute, or until golden. It will become slightly sticky, but keep stirring. Add tomato paste (or crushed tomatoes) and stir well, then reduce the heat to low and add paprika, turmeric, salt, cumin, garam masala, coriander and cayenne. Stir well and sauté for 4 minutes. Stir in water and cream, then turn off the heat and set aside until you are ready to serve.
Chicken Schnitzel
Place the pieces of chicken on the counter top and lightly pound them with the heel of your hand. Set chicken aside on a plate. Spread flour on another plate and mix in salt. Spread bread crumbs on a third plate. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Dip a piece of chicken in the flour to lightly coat both sides. Shake off any excess flour, then dip the chicken into the beaten eggs to lightly coat both sides. Finally, dredge the chicken in the bread crumbs, making sure to coat both sides and shake off any excess. Place the coated chicken pieces on an unlined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a deep-sided frying pan on medium high for 3-4 minutes, or until oil is hot enough that the chicken will start to cook immediately. (If the oil isn’t hot enough, it will soak into the breadcrumbs and you will have greasy rather than crispy chicken.) Use a pair of tongs to add each piece of chicken (as many as will easily fit in your pan), and then pan-fry each side for 3 minutes. Use a knife to cut into the first cooked piece: the meat should be white without any pink, and the flesh should be succulent, not dry. (If breadcrumbs begin to burn within 1 minute, then reduce the heat. If oil is not sizzling around the chicken, increase the heat.) Transfer the cooked chicken schnitzel to the lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.
Once all (or most) of the chicken has been fried, warm the sauce on medium-high heat. As soon as it boils, stir well and reduce the heat to low. Simmer 5 minutes, and then turn off the heat.
