Hey-hey! How is the weekend going on? I’m glad to join Fiesta Friday party this time! And share famous Russian recipe – Pozharsky kotleti, which are chicken cutlets, scrumptious and tender. Hope, you will love it and recreate at home! 🙂
Firstly, I’d like to tell you how the recipe became popular. It’s dating back to the late 18th or early 19th centuries. There are two history versions of the recipe. The first one says about Evdokim Pozharsky, who lived in small town Torzhok with his family; he was an ordinary person and owner of small tavern, but he bore the same family name with famous Russian imperial family Pozharsky. During that time the town was very important because it’s located on the highway from Moscow to St.Petersburg.
Dariya Pozharsky inherited the tavern from her father; she started to cook cutlets from chopped meat (chicken, turkey, hazel hens), and decided to add this dish to the menu. The legend says, that one day the Russian Emperor Nikolay I was passing by the town and stopped to have a rest and food. He tried cutlets and was so impressed by this dish, that immediately invited Ms.Dariya to St.Petersburg, where she became the lady of high society.
The other legend says, that Nikolay I decided to visit prince Pozharsky; the prince wasn’t expected to welcome such important guest and prepare chic dinner, so he/his chef cooked cutlets from chicken chopped meat and bread (the only meat which was available in the kitchen).
Pozharsky kotleti - Russian chicken cutlets
Ingredients
Chicken fillets 500-600g
Large onion 1
Fresh white bread or baguette 1
Warm water 80-100ml
Clarified butter or butter 50g (25g for onion frying + 25g for the meat)
+extra butter (or sunflower oil) for cutlets frying
Salt, pepper to taste
Method
- Finely chop the onion and fry it in the butter until soft and pale (don’t brown it).
- Cut off the crust from baguette, finely chop it and set aside.
- Put 3-4 bread slices in a small bowl, soak in the water for few minutes, then squeeze a bit of water out.
- Finely chop or mince chicken fillets, add soaked bread, butter, season with salt and pepper, and combine well. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Divide chicken mince into several cutlets (medium size) and coat with fresh breadcrumbs.
- Heat butter or oil in cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook cutlets just until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer cutlets to a baking shit and bake in preheated 200C/400F oven for 7-8 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite vegetables and/or boiled potatoes and sauerkraut.
Enjoy!!!
milkandbun 
Welcome to Fiesta Friday, I love your cutlets and what a great story. I will have to try these, they sound and look delicious and have the royal stamp of approval, can’t beat that.
Mila you have to link this post to the Fiesta Friday post @ the novice gardener here is the link to her site http://thenovicegardener.wordpress.com/ simply click on the purple fiesta friday badge and add the link (url) to this post) it’s such a lovely recipe everyone will love it.
Thank you, Suzanne! You are very kind! I linked it already, may be it’s not updated yet
I’m glad you did, I didn’t see it. Love those cutlets.
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Happy Fiesta Friday, Mila! I’m loving these cutlets…they look so delicious! This is definitely something that my family would love! I can’t wait to give them a try.. Thank you so much for sharing with all of us this weekend! Awesome post…great stories! ❤
Thank you, Prudy! Hope, you will like it! 🙂 Have a nice week!
looks delish! We made breaded chicken tonight, but nothing like this.
Did you made some cutlets/ nuggets too?:)
They look so yummy – I’ll have to make a note. Have a good week and see you next Friday!
Ginger
Thanks a lot, Ginger! Cutlets are really good and very tender!
And have a lovely week too!:)
Very interesting, I like the thick bread coating!…I always love your traditional Russian recipes!!
Thank you, my dear blogger-friend! 🙂
🙂 Thank you Mila! XX
Very cool history. I love reading your blog. This chicken looks delicious with such a thick outer crust. Wonderful.
I know, the recipe is very simple, but the meat tuned out soft and very tasty! 🙂
I love learning these little nuggets of history from you Mila 🙂 The cutlets look so fabulous, I can imagine the prince being very impressed by it indeed! Thank you for sharing these at Friday Fiesta!
Oh yes, I guess it wasn’t easy to impress the prince or especially the emperor! 🙂
Mmm…this looks so delicious!! 🙂
They are very good and tender! Hope, you give it a try, Bonnie!:)
This looks fantastic, the crunchy exterior would surely add a little something special to this 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru