The Ingredient That Gives Breaded Chicken A Major Flavor Boost

You could make chicken every night of the week for a hundred years and never have the same clucking dinner twice. Narrow the category down to only breaded chicken and you still have tons of options to top, coat, crust, and otherwise mix it up. And one of our favorite ways to give a seemingly everyday bird an infusion of familiar warmth is with an allium you probably have kicking around the bottom of your produce bowl already.

A bit of garlic can give a slab of unadorned white meat the intentionality it needs to transform into a real recipe. While you could just crush a few cloves with the side of a knife (which releases their maximum flavor potential), dice and fry it, or use it as a garnish, toasting garlic with bread crumbs is the superior distribution technique. And it only requires a modicum of extra effort in the kitchen.

Like the garlic that stays fresh for up to six months in that famed cool, dark place, you've probably got a silo or two of panko or plain breadcrumbs kicking around your cupboard. The latter's larger, fluffier particles gather golden color beautifully upon toasting, and result in a slightly lighter outcome, but their finer-ground counterparts will perform nicely, too. You can use any poultry part, but a cutlet's uniform thinness helps it cook quickly and evenly. (You can also just butterfly a standard chicken breast if that's what's on hand.)

Both garlic and panko will start burning up quickly if you look away for even one moment, and they toast at rudely different paces. For a little more control, smash and dice the cloves first. You'll need at least two for noticeable flavor. Then, sizzle the garlic with a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium until they barely begin to brown. Remove the garlic and toast the panko (about a cup per pound of chicken) in the remaining oil until it reaches that 24-karat hue. Reintroduce the garlic and give everything a brisk stir to fully combine. Plenty of breaded chicken recipes call for a whole dredging program or even just a brush of mayo to coat, but we've successfully made the garlicky version without either. And this preparation is equally suited to finishing in the oven or on the stovetop.