Chicharron Chicken Cutlets

Here at the Bon Appétit test kitchen, birthdays are serious business. On a shared drive is a spreadsheet where each colleague lists their preferred treats the rest of us try to recreate. We’ve made gochujang and corn pizza, shrimp cocktail, three kinds of lasagna, and of course, lots of cake, including one shaped like a malfunctioning car clutch (don’t ask). For my colleague Jesse Szewczyk’s big day, he wrote, “no baked goods…anything super savory.” And we knew just the thing. A few weeks earlier, in one of our brainstorm meetings, Jesse had raised the idea of chicken breasts breaded with crushed pork rinds, inspired by his perpetual quest for high-protein foods. So on his birthday I made him the chicharron-crusted chicken tenders of his dreams, piling them on a cake stand with a candle stuck in the center, because everyone needs cake on their birthday, even if it’s one made from chicken. He loved them, and so did everyone else.

If replacing breadcrumbs with crushed chicharrones sounds outrageous, well, sure. But it’s one of those things you have to try to believe. The pork rinds are fiercely savory, underpinning the tenders with deep flavor, unlike neutral breadcrumbs. Surprisingly, they’re not overly greasy, and even when crushed, they retain their airy crunch. While I favor chicken tenders for their uniform size and ease of handling, you can easily swap in thinly sliced or finger-thick strips of skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Eaten with a squeeze of lemon juice and a green salad, or sliced into strips, placed over rice, and served with a tonkatsu sauce, chicharron chicken tenders are the protein-packed gift that keeps on giving.

Salted but unflavored chicharron are your best bet here, allowing you to customize the flavors yourself. The Italian seasoning listed is merely a suggestion—try an equal quantity of Tajín or powdered ranch instead for a fun variation. (Skip the salt if you choose either route.)