Fried Chicken Cutlets with Salsa

• Recipe by Daisy Martinez

Martinez coats chicken cutlets in bread crumbs (mixed with a nice hit of cayenne) and pan-fries them. She tops the crispy chicken with a chunky fresh salsa of tomatoes, onion, basil and lime juice.

Ingredients

1. 3 medium tomatoes—halved, seeded and diced
2. 1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
3. 1/4 cup coarsely chopped basil
4. 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
5. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
7. 8 chicken breast cutlets (about 2 pounds)
8. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
9. 3 eggs, lightly beaten
10. 1 cup plain bread crumbs
11. Pinch of cayenne pepper
12. 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the tomatoes with the onion, basil, lime juice and olive oil. Season the salsa with salt and pepper.
2. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Put the flour, eggs and bread crumbs in 3 large, shallow bowls. Stir the cayenne into the bread crumbs. Dredge the chicken cutlets in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip the chicken in the eggs, then dredge in the bread crumbs, pressing to help the crumbs adhere.
3. In a very large skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Working in 2 batches, fry the chicken over moderately high heat, turning once, until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. Serve with the tomato salsa.