Ingredients
Meat
- 700 gchicken, breast and thigh mixed, minced coarsely
Binder
- 150 gwhite bread, crusts off
- 200 mldouble cream or milk
Also
- 120 gvery cold butter, in small cubes
- 1onion, finely chopped and softened in butter
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tspwhite pepper
- a grating of nutmeg
Coating
- 200 gwhite bread, crusts off, cut into tiny cubes
- or coarse breadcrumbs
- 1egg, beaten
- plain flour, for dusting
To cook
- 80 gclarified butter, for frying
To serve
- mashed potato
- a mushroom or sour cream sauce
- pickled cucumber
Directions
- Mince the chicken coarsely, using both breast and thigh. Use a mix of breast and thigh, because breast alone is dry and thigh alone is too dense. Mince it coarsely rather than to a paste, so the cutlet keeps some texture.
- Soak the bread in the cream for 10 minutes, then squeeze it lightly, leaving it damp. The soaked bread holds moisture through frying, and it is why a good Pozharsky cutlet is juicy rather than dry.
- Squeeze it, but leave it wet enough to be soft. Soften the chopped onion in a little butter until translucent, then cool it completely. Cook the onion first rather than adding it raw, and cool it before it goes near the meat. Warm onion starts to melt the butter in the mixture, which is exactly what you must avoid.
- Mix the minced chicken, soaked bread, cooled onion, salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Now work in the cold cubed butter, quickly and lightly. Work fast with cold hands, or use a spatula, and stop as soon as it is distributed. If the butter smears into the meat you lose the effect entirely and the cutlet is merely a chicken patty.
- Chill the mixture for an hour until it is firm. Now cut the coating bread into tiny cubes, about 3 mm. Shape the chilled mixture into six oval cutlets with wet hands, thicker in the middle. Dust each lightly in flour, dip in beaten egg, then press the bread cubes on all over. Press the cubes on firmly so they stick, and cover the whole surface.
- Chill the coated cutlets for another 20 minutes. That second chill keeps the butter solid and helps the coating stay on in the pan. Heat clarified butter in a heavy pan over a medium heat. Use clarified butter, which will not burn at frying temperature the way whole butter does.
- Fry the cutlets 4 to 5 minutes a side until the bread cubes are deep golden and crisp. Then finish them in a 180°C oven for 6 to 8 minutes to cook through.
- Use a thermometer if you have one: they are done at 74°C (165°F) in the centre. Rest them 5 minutes before serving. Serve with mashed potato and a mushroom or sour cream sauce. Cut into one and it should be visibly juicy, with the butter having melted through the crumb.
Technique
- Veal Pozharsky cutlets are also traditional and are made the same way.
- The Torzhok inn still trades on the association and Pushkin’s verse is quoted on menus.
- They can be shaped and coated a day ahead and kept in the fridge.
Substitutions
- Coarse panko breadcrumbs in place of hand-cut bread cubes.
- Milk in place of cream for the soaked bread.
Variations
- Made with veal.
- With a mushroom duxelles worked through the mixture.
- Baked rather than fried, which is lighter and less good.
History
From Darya Pozharskaya’s inn at Torzhok on the Moscow to Petersburg road; Pushkin recommended the cutlets in an 1826 verse letter.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pozharsky cutlet?
Pozharsky cutlet is a main from Russia: breaded minced chicken cutlet, crisp outside and juicy within. From Darya Pozharskaya’s inn at Torzhok on the Moscow to Petersburg road; Pushkin recommended the cutlets in an 1826 verse letter.
How long does Pozharsky cutlet take to make?
Pozharsky cutlet takes 40 min plus 1 hr chilling of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 cutlets. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Pozharsky cutlet?
Yes, within limits. Coarse panko breadcrumbs in place of hand-cut bread cubes. Milk in place of cream for the soaked bread.
What is the most important thing to get right in Pozharsky cutlet?
Mince the chicken coarsely, using both breast and thigh. Use a mix of breast and thigh, because breast alone is dry and thigh alone is too dense. Mince it coarsely rather than to a paste, so the cutlet keeps some texture.
