Give Chicken Cutlets A Little Kick Of Everything With This Popular Seasoning

Almost all of us have enjoyed crisp chicken cutlets, pounded thin, dredged in flour and breadcrumbs before being pan-fried to golden perfection. While delicious on its own when prepared properly, there's a reason it's also the foundational staple to dishes like chicken Parmesan, marsala dishes, and Milanese — and yet, it's not the most exciting main dish. Of course, that changes entirely when you add a few tablespoons of everything bagel seasoning to your breadcrumbs before dredging. 

It's no secret that Trader Joe's famous Everything but the Bagel Seasoning works on just about everything, including bagels and beyond. In fact, it's so popular that domestic cooks are recreating copycat everything bagel seasoning blends at home to ensure they always have some handy — a necessity if there aren't any TJ's in your area, as the grocery store doesn't offer online ordering and delivery. It's even more necessary to ensure you're stocked up on your personal recipe or the real thing once you discover everything bagel seasoning elevates vanilla ice cream, soups, and stews, and can easily brighten up an ordinary chicken cutlet.

Not only does the seasoning infuse a standard chicken cutlet with additional flavor, it also responds beautifully to being pan-fried. The hot oil crisps the minced dried onion and garlic, toasts the black and white sesame seeds, and helps melt the coarse salt into the chicken. Since heavy sauces would just drown out the additional flavors, we recommend enjoying the upgraded chicken cutlet as part of a sandwich, salad, or paired with roasted veggies.

Though everything bagel seasoning adds a bright and savory burst of flavor to this dish all on its own, there are other seasonings you can include either in the breading itself or on the finished chicken cutlet to further enhance its nuance and complexity. One of the easiest ways to do this is to add some additional seasonings to your breadcrumbs in the form of dried herbs like oregano and rosemary.

Though some breadcrumbs come pre-seasoned, traditional chicken cutlet recipes call for panko breadcrumbs, which are light, airy, and usually sold plain. However, you shouldn't substitute them for dried, seasoned breadcrumbs, as that will change the texture of your cutlet's breading, which may lead to scorching. Instead, if you want to add a more subtle flavoring component, try using garlic or lemon-infused olive oil when pan-frying the breaded chicken. This will enhance the taste and scent of your cutlet without overshadowing savory seasoning too much.

Of course, one of the tastiest, most exciting ways to pair other flavors with this dish is to make a vinaigrette. Light, tangy dressing cuts through the richness of the breading without making it soggy and is very easy to customize. Dijon mustard, honey, and lemon bring a fresh sweetness to this recipe, and infused olive oil may also be used in the dressing. Rice vinegar and sesame oil with orange juice and a little soy sauce give a nod to Asian flavors, which blends perfectly with everything bagel seasoning's profile as well.