Name: Baked Parmesan Turkey Cutlets
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1 pound turkey breast cutlets (about 4 slices); 3 eggs; 1 cup bread crumbs; 1 cup grated parmesan; 1/2 cup tomato sauce; 1 cup grated mozzarella; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp ground pepper; 1 tsp ground garlic

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From the chapter “To learn or to be inspired by the cuisines of the great chefs”, a delicious recipe of turkey breast in a parmesan crust, served with mozzarella, by Gordon Ramsay!

Actually, the original recipe is cooked from the chicken breast but I like more turkey meat, so I made little changes. Plenty parmesan, melted mozzarella, rich and flavorful sauce, garlic, all this together make this delicious recipe to stand out.

Turkey can be prepared in various ways, but I think we never have enough poultry recipes especially with breast meat. I assure you that the combination between turkey breast, parmesan and tomato sauce is absolutely fantastic.

Preparing turkey breasts is a kind of russian roulette. If cooking it properly, it can be juicy and tender but you can also dry it very easily. I often cook the poultry breast in the oven, either stuffed or not. Also, I usually boil it with various spices when I use it for salads or sandwiches. But still, schnitzel is my favorite. Both turkey and chicken schnitzels are beloved in my family.

With the arrival of children in our lives, the cooking process became inevitable but the time for this reduces considerably. Another dilemma is what to cook so that they like it?! My husband eats fried, I don’t. For this reason, very simple and fast recipes started to predominate in our menu.

Dishes like schnitzel and chicken fingers usually satisfy the craving of every member of my family. So to diversify a little their preference I was looking for something similar. I found this tasty Baked Turkey Parmesan Cutlets very attractive. This dish is also a kind of schnitzel but enriched with cheese and tomato sauce. If you only see how the mozzarella drapes over the schnitzel and how the tomato sauce compliments it, you wouldn’t resist trying it!

How do you flatten poultry breasts?

When cooking poultry breasts, there are few tiny little secrets to make them more fragile. If each piece of the breast is different in size, they will cook at an unequal rate. Thinner parts of breasts will dry out, while the thicker ones can be undercooked. So, one key to success is to make it equal thickness.

First, with a sharp knife cut the meat in slices. Then take one slice of breast and lay it flat between two pieces of waxed paper or in a plastic bag or cover it with a sheet of cling film. With a flat meat mallet, pound the meat lightly until the turkey is even in thickness (about1/4th-inch).

How to make Baked Parmesan Turkey Cutlets?

Carefully clean the turkey breast from the skin, bone, and extra fat, if needed. There are a lot of recommendations not to wash the meat before cooking. But I can not step over myself and I usually wash it. So if you, like me, rinse the meat in running water. Then soak well all extra water with a paper towel. Now you can start working with it. Flatten 4 slices of turkey breast, following the instruction described above. Take care not to beat it too hard, go light-moderate. Otherwise, you risk deforming the cutlets. Season slices with salt, pepper, and ground garlic and leave them aside to rest.

Lay on the baking tray with a piece of parchment paper and grease it a little with some drops of olive oil.

Now prepare the egg wash. Beat 3 eggs and add a pinch of salt and pepper.

In a wide and shallow bowl/ plate pour one cup of bread crumbs and one cup of grated parmesan. Mix them well.

Take one slice of turkey breast and dip it in the egg mixture to coat, letting excess drip off. Then, coat them with the parmesan and bread crumb mixture. If you like the crust thicker you can repeat this process one more time. Lay the cutlets on the prepared baking tray. Repeat with all of the turkey slices.

Preheat the oven to 425 °F. Bake turkey cutlets for 20 minutes.

In the meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. You can use either homemade tomato sauce or a commercial one.

After the elapsed time, when turkey cutlets are light-golden color remove them from the oven. Top each piece with one tbsp of tomato sauce and some shredded mozzarella cheese. Now, return the dish to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted well.

What to serve with Baked Parmesan Turkey Cutlets?

Before serving the turkey cutlets leave them aside to rest for 5 minutes. Then garnish with some chopped parsley, if desired. The turkey cutlet with parmesan can be served with various garnishes, like potatoes, pasta, salads, and mushrooms or with various sauces. My perfect side dish is a good portion of salad.

What is the temperature that turkey breast should be baked?

To ensure there is no pinkness, turkey the same as chicken should always reach the internal temperature of 165 °F. Use a kitchen thermometer to ensure the temperature is right. To check the temperature of the meat, insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast.

How can Turkey Cutlets be frozen?

I strongly do not recommend you to freeze turkey cutlets already baked. The dish will lose its crumble effect and the taste and flavor will change to the worse side. But the turkey cutlets can be easily frozen unbaked. Just coat the cutlets as usual and arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover them with a piece of cling film and place tray in the freezer. When the cutlets are frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer bag or hermetic casserole. Do not defrost the cutlets before baking. Bake them as usual but with 10 minutes more or until they’re cooked through.

Tips:

I chose to turkey cutlets in the oven because it seems healthier and dietary, but of course, you can fry them in a skillet.
To make the process of coating the meat easy, and to avoid the mess on your working surface use wide and shallow bowl/plate or breading trays.
If you do not have a meat mallet use a rolling pin to flatten the breast.