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Chicken Cutlets with Shaved Carrot and Zucchini Salad

Chicken Cutlets with Shaved Carrot and Zucchini Salad

Liven up quick chicken with earthy, warming spice and a colorful tangle of carrots.

By Rose HattabaughApril 6, 2021

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    35 minutes

The savory-sweet carrot salads common throughout North Africa and the Middle East gave us the idea for this colorful dish of chicken breasts paired with simple no-cook side. We shave raw carrots and zucchini, then toss the ribbons with cilantro, sliced shallot, green olives and a lemony olive oil dressing. The tangle of vegetables is a bright, toothsome salad to accompany sautéed spiced chicken cutlets. A Y-style vegetable peeler is the simplest way to shave the carrots and zucchini into paper-thin slices, but a mandoline works, too. If your chicken cutlets are thicker than about ¼ inch, pound them to thin them out so they cook quickly and evenly.

Tip

Don’t shave the cores of the vegetables. Carrot tend to be tough and fibrous at the center, and zucchini seedy and spongy. After shaving away the outer parts, discard the cores that remain. Also, don't worry if the shavings vary in width; this adds to the visual appeal of the salad.

Ingredients
  • 1

    tablespoon ground cumin

  • 2

    teaspoons ground coriander

  • ½

    teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 4

    4- to 5-ounce chicken breast cutlets (¼ inch thick), patted dry

  • 1

    medium shallot, halved and thinly sliced

  • ½

    cup pitted green olives, roughly chopped

  • 1

    teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 1

    tablespoon plus ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

  • 4

    large carrots (about 1 pound), peeled

  • 2

    medium zucchini (about 1 pound)

  • ½

    cup lightly packed fresh cilantro

Step 1

In a small bowl, stir together the cumin, coriander, cayenne and ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Season the chicken on both sides with 2 tablespoons of the spice mix; set aside the remaining spice mix.

In a large bowl, toss together the shallot, olives, the lemon zest and juice and zest and ½ teaspoon salt; set aside.

Step 2

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of oil until barely smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook until well browned on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes total, flipping the cutlets once. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil.

Step 3

Using a Y-style peeler, shave the carrots from top to bottom into long, wide ribbons, rotating as you go. Stop shaving when you reach the core; discard the cores. Do the same with the zucchini.

Step 4

To the shallot-olive mixture, stir in the remaining ¼ cup oil and the reserved spice mix. Add the carrots, zucchini and cilantro, then toss until coated. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the salad to the platter with the cutlets.