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Crispy Garlic Chicken Cutlets

Adding fresh garlic to recipes can cause its share of problems—overcooked garlic can taste harsh and bitter, and too much garlic can give you breath that will peel paint. For this recipe, we wanted crispy chicken cutlets with an intensely sweet—but not overpowering—garlic bite. Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

Using just four garlic cloves to marinate our cutlets—for just 30 minutes—provided a good garlic punch.

For a crunchy, garlicky coating, we found that garlic powder mixed with the bread crumbs holds up well in the skillet and lends a welcome and distinct flavor.

Finally, to give our cutlets even more garlic flavor, we added crushed garlic cloves to the cold cooking oil and heated them up together. When it was time to add the chicken, we just removed the cloves from the now-flavored cooking oil.

STEP BY STEP

Building Balanced Garlic Flavor

We used three hits of garlic to pump up the flavor in our chicken cutlets while avoiding any bitter, raw, or burnt garlic taste.

MINCED GARLIC A quick minced or pressed garlic marinade gets the flavor started.

GARLIC POWDER For a garlicky coating, garlic powder (mixed with the bread crumbs) holds up well in the hot skillet.

SMASHED GARLIC For a final hit of garlic, we tossed smashed cloves into the skillet to infuse the oil with garlic flavor.

Crispy Garlic Chicken Cutlets

Serves 3 to 4

Look for cutlets that are between 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch thick or make your own by slicing 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half horizontally.

1	cup plus 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4	garlic cloves , minced, plus 6 cloves peeled and smashed
6	thin-cut, boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (about 1 1/4 pounds), trimmed
3	slices hearty white sandwich bread , torn into large pieces
1	cup all-purpose flour
3	large egg whites
1	tablespoon garlic powder
4	tablespoons cornstarch
	Salt and pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Combine 3 tablespoons oil, minced garlic, and cutlets in zipper-lock bag and refrigerate while preparing remaining ingredients. Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground. Bake bread crumbs on baking sheet until dry, about 20 minutes.

2. Spread flour in shallow dish. In another shallow dish, whisk egg whites until foamy. Combine bread crumbs, garlic powder, and cornstarch in third shallow dish. Remove cutlets from bag and season with salt and pepper. One at a time, coat cutlets lightly with flour, dip in egg whites, and dredge in crumbs, pressing to adhere. Place cutlets on wire rack set over baking sheet and let dry 5 minutes.

3. Heat 1/2 cup oil and 3 smashed garlic cloves in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until garlic is lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Discard garlic and fry 3 cutlets until crisp and deep golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate and place in warm oven. Discard oil, wipe out skillet, and repeat with remaining oil, garlic cloves, and cutlets. Serve.