American
Crispy Coconut-Lime Chicken Cutlets
Thin chicken cutlets wear a crisp panko-coconut crust scented with lime and allspice, with a sharp scallion-yogurt sauce that balances the coating’s gentle sweetness.
4 servings · 25 minutes prep · 32 minutes cook
Ingredients
Lime-Scallion Sauce
- 3/4 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
Chicken
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, split into 8 cutlets and pounded 1/4 inch thick, eight uniformly thin cutlets
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
Coconut Crust and Frying
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup dried unsweetened coconut
- 1 lime, zest finely grated, reserve the fruit for another use
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- up to 2 cups neutral oil, as needed for a 1/4-inch depth in a 12-inch skillet
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Directions
Mix the Sauce and Season the Chicken
- Whisk the Greek yogurt, lime juice, scallions, and one-quarter of the salt. Refrigerate until serving.
- Split the chicken breasts horizontally as needed to make 8 cutlets. Pound each between sheets of parchment to an even 1/4 inch / 6 mm, checking the thickest areas before breading. Season both sides with the black pepper and another quarter of the salt.
Bread and Rest
- Place the flour in one shallow bowl. Whisk the eggs with the water in a second. Combine the panko, coconut, lime zest, allspice, cayenne, and remaining salt in a third.
- Coat each cutlet lightly in flour, dip in egg, then press firmly into the coconut mixture on both sides. Set on a wire rack and rest for 10 minutes so the coating adheres.
Shallow-Fry and Drain
- Heat the {{tool:oven|oven}} to 200°F / 95°C and set a clean wire rack over a sheet pan for holding. Pour enough neutral oil into a 12-inch skillet to reach 1/4 inch and heat over medium to 340°F, monitoring with the {{tool:deep-fry-thermometer|deep-fry thermometer}}. Fry two cutlets at a time for 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once, until deep golden and the thickest point reaches 165°F. Adjust the heat to keep the oil between 325°F and 350°F.
- Transfer cooked cutlets to the clean wire rack and keep warm in the oven while frying the remaining batches, for no more than 25 minutes total. Skim dark loose crumbs before each new batch. Rest the final batch for 3 minutes, then serve all cutlets with the cold sauce and lime wedges.
