Crispy & Cheesy: Easy Gluten-Free Chicken Mozzarella Cutlets!
Gluten-free Chicken and Mozzarella cheese cutlet is a scrumptious, protein packed appetizer option for any occasion! You can customize this recipe with different protein options, like firm tofu, ground turkey, ground pork (the cooking times may have to be adjusted accordingly).
This recipe makes about 20 pieces of these scrumptious Gluten-free Chicken Cutlets!
What cheeses go well with Chicken?
The purpose of cheese in this recipe to make the cutlets creamy and cheesy. So, mild cheeses that do not overpower the flavor work best. Some of my picks include, Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and provolone. Pepper Jack is also a good option, however, you may want to adjust the spice level in the recipe accordingly.
What's the difference between Cutlets, Kebabs and Patties?
Quite often than not, they are used interchangeably but there are some key technical differences.
- Crust: Cutlets and patties have a crispy crust, whereas kebabs are moist.
- Ground/Cut: Mince meat cutlets are closer to patties than to kebabs as mince meat cutlets have a crispy crust. Thin slices of meat are also called cutlets.
- Shaped/ Skewered: Patties, and cutlets are shaped and cooked in an oven or in a pan. Kebabs are cooked on skewers, but that’s not true for all kebabs.
How to make Chicken Cutlets?
How do I get a crispy crust for a gluten-free cutlet?
In this recipe, I’m using shredded mozzarella on the top for a crispy crust. You can also use the following options. I’m including links to the products I frequently use:
- Gluten-free bread crumbs from Katz
- Rice flour (Bob’s Red Mill or any other brand of your choice)
- Corn meal (Bob’s Red Mill or any other brand of your choice)
What ingredients do I need to make gluten-free Chicken and Cheese cutlets?
No fancy ingredients! This recipe uses ingredients found in most pantries and are easily available in grocery stores. Here’s what you need:
- Ground Chicken: Make sure the ground chicken is thawed.
- Cheese: I used grated mozzarella cheese, refer above for more cheese options.
- Optional Veggies: Grated carrots, finely chopped red onion. and finely chopped green onion (scallions).
- Spices and condiments: Red chilli powder, crushed red chilli, salt, garlic powder, cumin powder, black soybean soy sauce, and sesame oil/ vegetable oil.
- Binders: Roasted chickpea flour (you can use corn flour or any gluten-free flour), and eggs.
Can I make chicken cutlets without an oven?
Absolutely! I have cooked the chicken cutlets in this recipe in the oven on Broil setting, but, you can shallow-fry these cutlets in a pan or on an iron skillet. You’ll need some extra oil in cooking. If you have an air fryer, the cook time will have to be adjusted based on your air fryer settings.
Step by step process of making gluten-free chicken and cheese cutlets
Preparation:
- Make sure the ground chicken is thawed. Refer here for instructions on rinsing/ washing ground chicken.
- Finely Chop red onion, green onion and grate the carrots (Pic#1). I prefer grating the carrots, if you prefer the crunch from the carrots, you can chop them as well. I used my Cuisinart Hand blender for grating my carrots. It’s an excellent tool for all my quick food processing needs!
- Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and lightly grease it with some vegetable oil. (Pic#2)
Mixing:
- Take ground chicken in a large mixing bowl. Using a spoon, push down the ground chicken to make sure there are no frozen lumps. (Pic#3)
- Add chopped red onion, green onion, and grated carrot (Pic#4). Then, add all the spices – garlic powder, cumin powder, crushed red chillies, red chilli powder, soy sauce, oil and salt (Pic#5).
- Crack the eggs and mix the ingredients well with a spatula (Pic#6). Make sure the spices are incorporated well.
- Add in roasted chickpea flour (Pic#7) and continue mixing. Then, add in oil and about half of the cheese into the mix. Keep mixing to ensure all ingredients are blended in.
Shaping and Baking:
- Set the oven on Broil Med-High setting. For most ovens that is about 450-500 deg F.
- Now comes the fun part! Grease a spoon/ cup measure with oil to scoop out the mixture and place on the prepared baking tray (Pic#9). Slightly flatten the top of the cutlets with the back of a spoon. This recipe makes about 20 cutlets.
- Now sprinkle some shredded cheese on the top (Pic#10). Finish topping off all the cutlets.
- Place the tray in the middle rack of the oven (Pic#11) and cook the cutlets in the oven for about 15 minutes.
- The crust is beautiful golden brown and crispy (Pic#12). Then, flip them over to cook for 7-8 more minutes. (Pic#13)
- Turn off the oven and let the cutlets remain inside for about 2-3 minutes.
- Dish out the cutlets and serve hot with some sliced onions and ketchup. (Pic#14)
Can I make these cutlets ahead of time?
The best part of this recipe is you can make the cutlets ahead of time, bake them about 3-4 minutes lets and freeze them. Just make sure the cutlets completely cool down before you put them in a Ziplock/ airtight container. Then, when you want to use them, just thaw them in the refrigerator and pop them in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 deg F.
Related Recipes:
EASY GLUTEN-FREE CHICKEN MOZZARELLA CUTLETS- Crispy and Cheesy!
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Ground chicken
Vegetables
- ½ Medium Finely chopped red onion
- 2-3 Stems Spring Onion
- 5-6 Baby carrots
Spices and Condiments
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- ¾ tsp Red chilli powder
- ¾ tsp Garlic powder
- ½ tbsp Crushed red chillies
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce Black soybean sauce - naturally gluten-free
- 1 tbsp Oil Vegetable or Sesame oil
Binding agents
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 cup Shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup Roasted chickpea flour gluten-free
Instructions
Preparation
- Make sure the ground chicken is thawed. Finely Chop red onion, green onion and grate the carrots. I prefer grating the carrots, if you prefer the crunch from the carrots, you can chop them as well.
- Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and lightly grease it with some vegetable oil.
Mixing
- Take ground chicken in a large mixing bowl. Using a spoon, push down the ground chicken to make sure there are no frozen lumps.
- Add chopped red onion, green onion, and grated carrot. Then, add all the spices - garlic powder, cumin powder, crushed red chillies, red chilli powder, soy sauce, oil and salt.
- Crack the eggs and mix the ingredients well with a spatula. Make sure the spices are incorporated well. Add in roasted chickpea flour and continue mixing. Then, add in oil and about half of the cheese into the mix. Keep mixing to ensure all ingredients are blended in.
Shaping and Baking
- Set the oven on a Broil Med-High setting. For most ovens that is about 450-500 deg F.
- Take a spoon/ cup measure (I used a 1.3 cup) to scoop out the mixture and place on the prepared baking tray. Slightly flatten the top of the cutlets with the back of a spoon. This recipe makes about 20 cutlets.
- Now sprinkle some shredded cheese on the top. Finish topping off all the cutlets. Place the tray in the middle rack of the oven and cook the cutlets in the oven for about 15 minutes. Then, flip them over to cook for 7-8 more minutes.
- Turn off the oven and let the cutlets remain inside for about 2-3 minutes. The crust is beautiful golden brown and crispy.
- Dish out the cutlets and serve hot with some sliced onions and ketchup.