The Crispy Chicken Cutlets You Can Make Ahead of Time

The Sunday Stash is a large batch of one simple, easy-to-make food that can be mix-and-matched with meat, vegetables, grains, and pasta to create meals throughout the week (or, if frozen, the month).

For this month's Sunday Stash, we're making a big batch of my super-simple tomato sauce, freezing it in small quantities, and using it to make meals all month long.

One of my favorite dinners is a breaded chicken cutlet, pan-fried until golden and served with a wedge of lemon or drizzled with a quick pan sauce of butter and capers. So good, so crispy. So simple—yet still sort of a pain in the neck to make.

First you have to pound the chicken breasts thin. Then you set up a whole assembly line—flour, beaten eggs, breadcrumbs—for breading them. Then you fry them up on the stovetop in 2 to 3 grease-spattering batches. It's a lot. Sometimes, when we've bought a huge, family-size pack of chicken breasts from Costco, we'll think ahead and cook up a big batch of cutlets to freeze. We're always so happy to have them in the freezer, but the process takes a couple of hours, plus the chicken tends to get a bit over-cooked upon reheating.

That's why I was thrilled when my coworker Anna came up with a genius new way to batch-prep chicken cutlets ahead of time.

Make-Ahead Crispy Chicken Cutlets

Anna's recipe features a few really brilliant hacks. First of all, the cutlets are cut a little smaller than usual for more kid-friendly portioning. Then, instead of the classic flour/egg wash/breadcrumbs scenario, Anna simply mixes mayonnaise with egg yolks and dips the chicken in it. Since the cutlets will eventually be baked instead of fried (goodbye, messy stovetops!), you quickly brown some panko in a pan to give the breadcrumbs a lovely golden-brown color and crunch.

The mayo-dipped cutlets are then pressed into the browned panko and placed directly on a baking sheet bound for the freezer. After they're frozen, the pre-breaded cutlets can be tossed into a plastic bag and kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Then, any time you're craving crispy, crunchy chicken, simply bake a few cutlets in a 450°F oven until cooked through and juices run clear, about 14 to 16 minutes if cooking from frozen, or 10 to 12 minutes if making from fresh.

Once you have a huge bag of these breaded cutlets in the freezer, there are so many ways you can use them to make quick, easy meals. Here are 11 of our favorites:

1. Make Tacos

I never pass up the opportunity to turn something into tacos, and this crispy chicken is no exception. Serve strips of it on corn tortillas topped with a spicy cabbage slaw and black beans on the side.

2. Serve on Top of Salad

Top a crispy, golden-brown chicken cutlet with pretty much any salad and you've got a great meal. Arugula and tomatoes tossed with lemon juice and olive oil? Check. Zucchini ribbons, cashews, mint, and ricotta salata? YES. Cucumber slices, radishes, parsley, and schmaltz-fried croutons? Every day.

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3. Serve It With a Pan Sauce

While the cutlets are baking, melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in a small skillet. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the skillet and stir to combine. Toss in 2 teaspoons drained capers and a handful of chopped parsley. Spoon the sauce over the cooked chicken cutlets.

4. Add to Peanut Noodles

Toss cooked rice noodles, egg noodles, or just regular old spaghetti with this fantastic peanut sauce and top with slices of chicken cutlet, chopped peanuts, and—if it'll fly in your house—a handful of cilantro.

Kid-Friendly Peanut Sauce

5. Go Buffalo-Style

While the chicken cutlets are baking, melt 1/2 stick unsalted butter in a small saucepan. Add 1/3 cup hot sauce, such as Frank's, and stir to combine. Once the chicken is cooked, slice it into strips; in a medium bowl, toss the chicken strips with the butter–hot sauce mixture. Serve with blue cheese dipping sauce and celery and carrot sticks.

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6. Turn It Into Chicken Parmesan

To make the world's fastest chicken parm, put the cutlets in the oven to bake. When they're about 4 minutes from being done, sprinkle a handful of mozzarella on each one and put back in the oven to melt the cheese. Serve the cheese-topped cutlets on a ladleful of tomato sauce and top with a sprinkling of basil if you're fancy.

7. Make Sandwiches

Throw a crispy cutlet or two on a soft bun—we love potato rolls for this—with some seasoned mayo, shredded lettuce, and pickle chips. (Hot tip: if you buy the mini potato rolls, you can serve these as delicious crunchy chicken sliders.)

8. Better Yet, Make Cemitas

A traditional Mexican sandwich hailing from the Puebla region, cemitas are served on soft sesame buns and piled high with delicious fillings, including refried beans, Oaxacan cheese (or mozzarella), chile sauce, and avocado.

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9. Serve It Katsu-Style

Fan slices of crispy chicken cutlet over a bed of steamed white rice and drizzle with a katsu-esque dipping sauce, or any sauce of your choosing. Hoisin, Sriracha, sweet-and-sour, and, of course, ketchup would all work well.

10. Make Chicken-Fried Chicken

Following the directions in this recipe, make a country gravy. (Start with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil since you won't have chicken-frying oil in the pan). Serve the cutlets with a generous drizzle of gravy over the top and a buttermilk biscuit alongside.

11. Turn It Into Schnitzel

Since the chicken cutlets are just heat-and-eat, you have plenty of time to make this buttermilk spaetzle to serve along with it. Serve with lots of lemon wedges (and a beer for the grown-ups).