Every week, Executive Food Editor Keith Dresser pairs each main dish with a side to give you a complete, satisfying dinner without the guesswork. Look for the game plan section to learn tips on how to streamline your kitchen work so dinner comes together quicker.
Dinner This Week
Dinner This Week: Sautéed Chicken Cutlets
This week’s menus include Sautéed Chicken Cutlets, Crispy Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Cumin–Chili Powder Rub, and Pasta with Meatless “Meat” Sauce with Chickpeas and Mushrooms for dinner in about an hour.
By Published June 11, 2021
Jump to a Section
Dinner 1: Chicken Cutlets and Sautéed Radishes
Game Plan: Prep the ingredients for both dishes. Start by sautéing the radishes (step 1). Transfer the radishes to a bowl and cover to keep warm. Next, sauté the chicken in the same skillet. Once the chicken is done, sauté the radish greens (step 2).
For evenly cooked Sautéed Chicken Cutlets, we halve the breasts horizontally before pounding them until they are 1/4 inch thick and then season them with salt and pepper. After just 2 1/2 minutes in the skillet, the cutlets are juicy and cooked through. Our Sautéed Radishes recipe starts by cooking quartered radishes in butter over moderate heat. The butter provides substantial browning and contributes subtle, nutty notes. With just 10 minutes of cooking, the radishes are golden brown all over and perfectly tender, with a slight bite. To provide textural variety and color, we sauté the radish greens separately and then combine them with the radishes before serving.
Printable Shopping Lists: Chicken Cutlets and Sautéed Radishes
Quick Sauces for Chicken: Roasted Red Pepper, Olive-Orange, Sun-Dried Tomato, Tomatillo
Equipment Review
Food Processors
How much do you need to spend to get a machine that makes light work of chopping, slicing, shredding, and mixing?Read Our Review
Dinner 2: Crispy Pork Chops and Broiled Asparagus
Game Plan: Prepare the pork chops through step 3. While the breaded chops stand, prep the asparagus. Heat the boiler and then start to pan-fry the pork (skip transferring the cooked chops to the oven). As the pork cooks, broil the asparagus.
Using boneless center-cut loin chops keeps our Crispy Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Cumin–Chili Powder Rub recipe fast and easy. We lightly score the chops and then dredge them in cornstarch to create an ultracrisp sheath that stays strongly adhered to the chops. Mustard, along with cumin and chili powder, perk up the coating and crushed cornflakes add a crisp, craggy exterior. We prefer thin spears for Simple Broiled Asparagus, but thicker sizes can be used; just make sure to extend the cooking time a bit. Serve the asparagus with a squeeze of lemon or drizzle with your favorite vinaigrette.
Printable Shopping Lists: Crispy Pork Chops and Broiled Asparagus
Equipment Review
Salad Spinners
Which salad spinner model can wash and dry your greens without wearing you out?Read Our Review
Dinner 3: Pasta with Meatless “Meat” Sauce and Green Leaf and Radicchio Salad
Game Plan: Prep the ingredients for both recipes. Start cooking the sauce. Once the tomatoes have been added (step 4), bring a pot of water to a boil. Once the chickpeas have been added to the sauce (step 5), boil the pasta while the sauce simmers for 15 minutes. Toss the salad right before serving.
Meatless “Meat” Sauce with Chickpeas and Mushrooms is a savory, unctuous sauce. Cremini mushrooms and tomato paste provide savoriness while chopped chickpeas add bulk and a meatlike texture. Extra-virgin olive oil, plus classic Italian aromatics—garlic, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes—round out the flavors. Our Green Leaf and Radicchio Salad with Grapefruit and Fennel combines soft, mineral-y green leaf lettuce with bitter, crunchy radicchio. Sweet, peppery grapefruit and grassy fennel both balance the bitterness of the radicchio and add brightness.
Printable Shopping Lists: Meatless “Meat” Sauce and Green Leaf and Radicchio Salad
To view more quick weeknight dinner ideas, check out the rest of the Dinner This Week series.
