Tender

My Mom is an exceptional cook. When she busies herself at the stove in our tiny Belarusian kitchen, the whole flat fills with aromas of onion, garlic, and that inexplicable flavor of home. There is something so beautiful about her hands fluttering above the cutting board, chopping up ingredients and making simple magic happen.  Not surprisingly, when a few years ago my parents came to the United States to meet their grandson for the first time, my Mom was immediately able to transport us back to her Belarusian kitchen with one of the simplest and most delightful chicken dishes. She calls them tender cutlets (nezhnie kotleti)—tender chicken breasts cut into small cubes and bound together by a simple mixture of mayo and flour (or corn starch). My Mom likes to serve them with a side of buckwheat—a very traditional grain in Russian cooking. Having experimented with several variations of this delicacy, I have come up with a recipe that fuses Belarusian and American cuisine by adding quinoa pilaf with pine nuts and parsley.

Quinoa is a fairly new grain to the United States, but, in fact, it is one of the oldest grains in the world. Quinoa has been cultivated in Peru, Chile and Bolivia for over 5,000 years.  It has also been a staple food in the diets of the native Indians. For example, the Incas considered it a sacred food and referred to it as the "mother seed." To learn more about this fascinating protein-rich grain clink here. Nowadays, you can find quinoa in any health-food store and many large supermarkets.

So, this dish is a definitely a time travel vehicle.  It features the world oldest grain gently tossed with pine nuts and fresh parsley and served with my Mom’s “modern” chicken cutlets. Super easy to make, it will make you go for seconds.

 Tender Chicken Cutlets with Quinoa Pilaf

Chicken Cutlets

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced fine
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• Canola or olive oil for frying

To Make:

1. Cut chicken breasts into small cubes and place in a large non-reactive bowl.
2. Beat eggs in another mixing bowl and add salt, pepper, garlic, flour, mayonnaise, and parsley
3. Stir in the egg mixture into the chicken and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 250F.
5. In a large sauté pan, pre-heat 1/8 to ¼ cup canola oil or olive over medium-high heat.
6. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, place about 2 tablespoons of chicken mixture in the pan to make a patty about 4 inches across. Do not overcrowd the pan to ensure nice browning.  Fry the cutlets for about 4-5 minutes per side.
7. Remove the cutlets and place them on a cooking sheet. Put the cooking sheet in the oven to keep the cutlets warm while you are making the rest of the cutlets.

Quinoa Pilaf with Pine Nuts and Parsley

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups chicken broth
• ¾- 1 tsp salt

• ¼ raw pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ cups fresh parsley

To Make:

In a large sauce pan, bring quinoa and chicken broth to a boil; reduce to a simmer, stir once, and cover. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

While the quinoa is cooking… 

1. Toast the pine nuts in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Keep stirring frequently until the nuts are golden brown. Be careful not to burn them as that can happen very quickly. Remove the nuts, cool, and roughly chop them.
2. Place the nuts in a non-reactive metallic bowl, set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan, add the onion and cook until slightly browned, for about 10 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to medium low and add minced garlic. Cook until fragrant for about 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the onion-garlic mixture into a bowl with the pine nuts. Add fresh parsley and gently mix everything together.
6. When the quinoa is done, fluff it with a fork, add the herb and nut mixture to the quinoa and gently mix together.

Serve quinoa pilaf with the chicken cutlets on a bed of butter lettuce.

Enjoy!