The first thing that comes to mind made from meat is meatballs or their meatballs relatives. Ever since childhood, the stereotype of the usual second dish has not even changed. This is mashed potatoes or pasta and a ruddy cutlet chopped from chicken breast, for special occasions or just hastily fried in a pan by a constantly busy mom. Each family has its own taste of this product, as well as pies, borsch, as well as other attributes of the classical Slavic family. Moreover, there are hundreds of cooking options for this dish, but of those, those from childhood will always be the most favorite. Recipes of chopped poultry fillet cutlets presented below are selected from a host of others according to user reviews. After all, who should be trusted, if not popular opinion?
The classic recipe. Ingredients
Culinary specialists are constantly trying to invent something new by adding various additional ingredients to the dish. Therefore, the basic recipe for chopped fillet cutlets is gradually forgotten. In fact, it is a simple option that is the most versatile, ideally combined with any side dish. Therefore, it is worth taking this recipe for a note. It will require:
- 700 grams of chicken crumb;
- 1 onion;
- 60 grams of cream or milk;
- 2 to 3 eggs;
- 3-4 cloves of garlic;
- 100 grams of wheat flour;
- 1 tsp. salt and allspice;
- 1 \ 4 grated nutmeg.
The energy value of such chopped fillet cutlets is only 180 calories per 100 gram serving, so they can be attributed to low-calorie foods.
Cooking meat basics
The usual option is made from meat, minced with a meat grinder or blender, combined with stale bread and spices. But the recipe "Chopped chicken breast cutlets" is based on a different technology. The meat is cut into very small pieces with a sharp knife. To do this, cut the chicken into thin long strips along, and then chop each one as finely as possible. This method allows you to save more juice, which makes chicken cutlets very tasty, because cooked in the usual way, they usually turn out to be a little dry.
When all the meat has been sliced, dry it with a paper towel, removing the remaining moisture - this technique is used by professional chefs to give the cutlets a rich golden crust, because dry meat during roasting has a more even tan. Finely chop the onions, mix with the garlic crushed in the press and add to the meat. There also send spices, salt and eggs, pre-connected with sour cream. Knead the minced meat thoroughly with your hands, adding flour to the process (some replace it with starch or semolina). Place the minced meat for minced meatballs from tender chicken fillet in a cool place for half an hour (or an hour) so that the ingredients exchange tastes and the aroma of spices reveals. After that, you can proceed to heat treatment of products.
How to cook?
For those who are preparing a dish of this kind for the first time, it will not be clear how to fry cutlets from chopped chicken. After all, minced meat does not look like a classic from a meat grinder. Hand-molded products are poorly obtained: the mass often breaks into pieces and the dense shape of the usual cutlets does not work. Usually chopped cutlets are spread on an already heated pan (with vegetable oil) with a spoon, forming neat oval cakes no more than 7 cm long and 4-5 cm wide.
You can also make them round, but not too thin: you should not squeeze the mass strongly with a spoon into the pan, the thickness of the cutlets should be within 2-3 cm. When they are well browned, turn the scapula to the other side. It is important to ensure that the fire of the stove is not too strong, because on the outside they can fry well and remain damp inside, because the pieces of meat are fried for longer compared to regular minced meat from a meat grinder. It is recommended to break one ready-made cutlet to make sure that it has really reached the desired condition.
How to make cutlets more juicy? Tips from experienced housewives
If after all the manipulations in the cooking process the quality of the chopped chicken fillet cutlets does not satisfy, several tricks from professional chefs can make them juicy:
- When mixing minced meat, add a double portion of sour cream, but it should be thick. During frying, the liquid dairy product will not be actively absorbed into the meat, but rather will contribute to the spreading of minced meat. Cutlets will start to absorb fat from the pan and the taste will significantly disappoint.
- A simpler way is to extinguish in a small amount of water or broth, which should cover the patties, folded in a stewpan for 1/3 of the total mass. Extinguish over high heat for ten minutes under a tightly closed lid.
Milk and onion gravy for cutlets
For those who prefer stewed meatballs, this recipe for gravy will be very pleasant, as it makes them much more tender, and the onion perfectly emphasizes its taste. To prepare the gravy, you only need three ingredients: milk (you can use cream, but the calorie content will increase significantly), onions and spices of your choice (Italian herbs are an excellent choice).
Six onions cut into thin half rings and fry in 2 tbsp. vegetable oil until transparent, pour two cups of milk and simmer over low heat under a lid until the onions are completely softened. This usually takes no more than 15 minutes. In the process, add a pinch of salt and spices, and periodically mix the gravy with a spoon. When it is ready, fill it with fried meatballs and cook for another 10 minutes, so that the products are well saturated and enriched with taste.
With champignons
The chopped chicken fillet with mushrooms is very tasty. At the same time, the energy value is the same low-calorie. And due to subsequent steaming in a small amount of broth, the products are more juicy. Fresh mushrooms are used for cooking:
- 200 grams of champignons;
- 2 eggs;
- 600 grams of boneless chicken;
- 2 onions;
- 3 tbsp. l thick cream or sour cream;
- 2 - 3 tbsp. l semolina (sometimes it is replaced with flour);
- 1 tsp without a hill of salt;
- 3 cloves of crushed garlic in a press;
- 1 \ 3 tsp. coriander, nutmeg and black pepper.
If desired, you can add a small bunch of parsley or other herbs. To give chopped fillet cutlets a more original taste.
Minced meat
First of all, you need to rinse the mushrooms under running water, by no means soaking for a long time - they will immediately absorb moisture, and the cooking process will be delayed. Dry with a napkin and cut into thin small cubes. Warm the pan with two tablespoons of vegetable oil and fry the mushroom slices in it until the color changes slightly and the liquid evaporates, then put them on a plate, pour another 1 tbsp into the pan. l oil and fry the finely chopped onion in it until transparent.
After the stove fire is turned off, mix the mushrooms and onions, add all the spices, salt, garlic and sour cream to them, which, if necessary, can be replaced with mayonnaise. Send semolina and eggs there, mix thoroughly. Cut the chicken into the smallest pieces. Even if this process seems tedious and you really want to use a food processor for grinding, you should not do this, because the essence of the recipe will be lost. The meat should retain its juiciness thanks to the cutting, and not grinding into minced meat.
Mix the previously prepared mushroom mass with meat slices, carefully knead with your hands and place the workpiece in the refrigerator for forty minutes so that the semolina swells, which will subsequently give the cutlets the correct shape. After the curing time is over, fry the meatballs in a pan over low heat for 3-4 minutes on each side until a deep rosy color is obtained. Serve better chopped meatballs with mushrooms still warm with spicy ketchup and a salad of fresh vegetables. Buckwheat or barley porridge, boiled pasta or traditional mashed potatoes are well suited as a side dish.
Useful advice from an experienced chef
To make it easier to chop meat for chopped meatballs, fillets are frozen in the refrigerator. And then with a sharp knife they cut into thin strips, which in turn are chopped into small pieces by the chopper. This is really very convenient, since hard frozen meat keeps its shape well and does not slip in the hands. Just take into account: the fillet is not completely frozen to a solid piece, but only slightly frozen, that is, it should be found in the freezer for no more than half an hour.
Can cutlets be dietetic?
Why not? The calorie content of many dishes depends on the method of preparation, especially if you compare frying in a pan in oil and baking in an oven. It is such diet chopped chicken fillet that will be a great dinner. Since they have an energy value of only 120 calories per hundred grams. Moreover: many do not like the presence of fat remaining in the product after frying, and for baking in the oven, oil is not necessary at all. So, to prepare 5 servings (two cutlets per serving) you will need this set of products:
- 500 grams of meat;
- 1 onion;
- a small bunch of parsley (can be mixed with dill);
- 2 eggs;
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt and black pepper;
- a generous pinch of ground oregano;
- 2 tbsp. l breadcrumbs.
How to cook cutlets in the oven?
This is even easier than frying in a pan, wasting time on constant monitoring of cutlets. Chop the meat into small pieces (if they are obtained no more than 0.5 cm in size - very good). Mix with finely chopped onions and herbs. Add spices, crackers and eggs. The last ingredient is especially important. Do not ignore the addition of eggs - minced chicken fillet cutlets baked in the oven retain their shape thanks to this particular ingredient. Since decoy or starch is not put in the minced meat to make the dish more dietary.
Knead with your hands and let the meat stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, and in the meantime, you can warm the oven well and cover the baking sheet with foil. Put small oval cutlets on a baking sheet with a spoon or hands moistened in cold water and bake at a temperature of 180 degrees for half an hour. At the end of cooking, make the oven heat more (220-250 degrees) and wait another ten minutes, so that the patties are better browned and have an appetizing look.
A few ideas for those who like mixed tastes.
Chicken cutlets are very tasty if you add grated hard cheese (200 grams for every 0.5 kg of meat) to the minced meat, and replace the sour cream with mayonnaise mixed with garlic. Such a dish has a higher energy value, so it is welcomed by people who work a lot physically. As a snack, such patties, along with a burger bun and vegetable slices, are a serious competitor to street fast food, being a more healthy dish due to home cooking.
Those who want to make meat patties lighter can add grated vegetables to the minced meat: for example, zucchini or carrots, in a 3: 1 ratio. This type of meatballs is recommended for nutrition by nutritionists, since fiber of vegetables contributes to the good functioning of the intestines, which is one of the primary factors of weight loss.