Thirteen ingredients and thirty-eight minutes, in four steps.
These cutlets have no cheese: step 4 leaves out feta and any other cheese.
Why This Recipe Works
- Ten minutes in buttermilk wets the surface so a heavy dredge grips it.
- Cornstarch through the flour keeps the crust crisp under a wet glaze.
- Thin cutlets cook through in the time it takes the coating to go golden.
- Shallow-frying is enough for a cutlet, where a thicker piece would need depth.
- Warming the honey only until fluid keeps it pourable rather than setting.
Ingredient Notes
- Thin cutlets
- Four. Thin is why shallow-frying works — a thicker breast would colour before the middle reached temperature.
- Cornstarch with flour
- A third of a cup to three quarters of a cup. The cornstarch is what keeps the crust crisp once honey lands on it.
- Hot honey
- A third of a cup of honey with a teaspoon of hot sauce and a quarter teaspoon of chilli flakes, warmed only until it flows.
- No cheese
- There is none in this recipe.
How to Make It
Buttermilk, then the dredge mix
Soak cutlets in buttermilk 10 minutes. Mix flour, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Dredge heavily, fry to 165F
Dredge the cutlets heavily and shallow-fry until crisp, golden, and 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the center. Drain on a rack.
Warm the hot honey
Warm honey with hot sauce and red pepper flakes until fluid.
Drizzle, parsley, no cheese
Drizzle the hot honey over the cutlets and finish with parsley. Do not add feta or any other cheese.
Four Checks, and the Last One Is an Absence
This is a four-step recipe, and each step contains exactly one thing that can go wrong. The last of them is not a technique at all - it is about what stays off the plate.
Step 1 - the soak
10 minutes in 1/2 cup of buttermilk, no more.
Short by marinade standards because it is not a marinade. Its only job is to wet the surface of 4 thin cutlets so that a dry dredge has something to hold on to; longer does nothing a thin cutlet needs.
Step 2 - the dredge
HEAVILY, in 3/4 cup flour with 1/3 CUP CORNSTARCH, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
The cornstarch is the part that matters: it fries to a crust that stays crisp after a wet glaze lands on it, where flour alone would soften. Heavily rather than shaken off - the coating is what this dish is.
Step 2 - the fry
Crisp, golden and 165F in the CENTRE. Drained on a rack.
Shallow-frying is enough because the cutlets are thin: the crust and the centre arrive together. A rack rather than kitchen paper, or the underside steams itself soft while the top stays crisp.
Step 4 - no cheese
1/3 cup honey warmed with 1 tsp hot sauce and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes UNTIL FLUID, drizzled on, then 2 tbsp parsley. Nothing else.
The recipe says it outright: do not add feta or any other cheese. Warmed only until fluid, too, so the honey drizzles rather than setting on the crust.
Success Tips
- Dredge heavily and press it on; the crust is the dish.
- Drain on a rack rather than paper so the underside stays crisp.
- Drizzle rather than pour — the honey should coat, not soak.
Serving Ideas
Four servings on white plates, the crisp golden cutlets under a glossy amber hot honey with chopped parsley and honey pooling beneath. Nothing else on them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I add feta?
No. Step 4 leaves out feta and any other cheese.
Do I need a deep fryer?
No. These are thin cutlets and the recipe shallow-fries them; the crust is set before the centre could overcook.
How do I keep the crust crisp?
Cornstarch in the dredge, a rack to drain on, and honey warmed only until fluid and drizzled rather than poured.
