Chicken Cutlets with Artichokes and Lemon-Thyme Sauce

From the Washington Post. Looks good, although like most recipes that involve seasonings and dredging chicken in flour she makes the usual mistake - add the seasonings to the flour and then dredge the chicken in it. Unless you use a huge amount of seasonings the seasonings get lost in the flour and you'll never taste them. For example in this recipe the spice mix includes 1/4 teaspoons each of cumin, onion powder and dried thyme, which all get stirred into 1/4 cup flour - I'm sorry but you stir such a tiny amount of spice into 1/4 cup flour it will just disappear and when you dredge the chicken in it you'll never know the spices are there. Instead, put the seasonings directly on the chicken before you dredge it.

Here's how she describes creating the cutlets from chicken breasts: For DIY cutlets, use a sharp knife to cut horizontally through each breast so the meat opens like butterfly wings. Then, carefully separate the halves. Remove any visible fat or sinew. Then, if you want them even thinner, place each cutlet between two pieces of wax paper and use a meat tenderizer or skillet to pound each cutlet to desired thickness. I usually like about 1/4 inch.

Ingredients

For the Chicken

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 chicken cutlets (about 1 pound total)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

For the Sauce

1/4 cup heavy cream
3 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 cup no-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
1 (14 ounces) can artichoke hearts, drained
1 tablespoon lightly chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, cumin, onion powder, thyme, if using, salt and pepper. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then lightly coat the chicken in the seasoned flour.

2. When you’re almost done coating the chicken, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until just shimmering. Shake off any excess flour and lay the chicken cutlets flat in the hot pan, in batches if necessary, without crowding. Sear, flipping once halfway, until cooked through and just beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes total. If cooking the chicken in batches, add oil to the pan as necessary.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the cream, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest.

4. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and loosely cover with the foil to keep warm. Add the broth to the pan, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Continue to cook until reduced by a third, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cream mixture and cook, whisking until thickened, about 1 minute. Add the artichokes and fresh thyme and cook about 1 more minute. If the sauce is too thick, add broth, 1 tablespoon at a time. Taste the sauce, and season with salt and pepper, as needed.

5. To serve, spoon the sauce over each chicken cutlet and garnish with additional fresh thyme leaves and Parmesan, if using.