Pozharskie Kotlety

Ingredients

• 700 g skinless chicken thigh and breast meat, mixed
• 120 g white bread, crusts removed
• 150 ml double cream
• 80 g cold unsalted butter, cut into small dice
• 40 g butter for frying
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• a pinch of grated nutmeg
• 200 g day-old white bread, crusts removed, cut into 3 mm cubes
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil

Before you cook

• Chop the chicken by hand with a heavy knife until it is a coarse mince, which keeps the texture loose.
• Tear the 120 g of bread into a bowl and pour the cream over it to soak.
• Grate the onion on the fine side of a box grater.
• Dice the 80 g of butter and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Cut the day-old bread into small cubes and spread them on a tray to dry.

Steps

1. Squeeze the soaked bread lightly and mash it into the chopped chicken with the grated onion.
2. Season the mixture with the salt, white pepper and nutmeg.
3. Work the mixture with your hands for 2 minutes, until it turns tacky and holds together.
4. Fold the frozen butter dice through quickly, keeping them in visible pieces.
5. Cover the bowl and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes so the butter stays hard.
6. Heat the oven to 180C.
7. Wet your hands and shape the mixture into eight ovals about 2 cm thick.
8. Roll each cutlet in the dried bread cubes, pressing gently so they stick all over.
9. Melt the 40 g of butter with the oil in a wide ovenproof frying pan over medium heat.
10. Fry the cutlets for 3 minutes on each side, until the bread cubes are deep gold.
11. Slide the pan into the oven and bake the cutlets for 10 minutes to cook them through.
12. Rest them for 3 minutes before serving, so the butter inside settles rather than pouring out.