Chicken cutlets get pounded out until super thin and simply pan-fried until golden. Cherry tomatoes get added with some water to help scrape up any brown bits in the pan and cook until they burst open. It all gets served with a bright cucumber avocado salad and plenty of herbs. Add some pasta, rice or roasted potatoes for a good dose of carbs!
I love smashing cucumbers – it releases their juices and creates craggy edges for the dressing to hang out. Since we’re already smashing the chicken with a rolling pin, I figured we might as well smash our cukes! But you could easily just chop them up instead – your call!
Ingredient highlight
Avocado! I eat a lot of avocado – on toast, in bowls, with chips, and straight out of the skin sprinkled with salt. This super versatile fruit is high in monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic acid), which may help lower cholesterol and reduce inflammation. They are also high in potassium, vitamin E, B vitamins, and fiber. One half of an avocado has up to 7 grams of fiber and 1 whole avocado has about double the amount of potassium in one banana.
PRO tip: the most nutrient-rich part of an avocado is the really green part close to the skin, so make sure you scrape them clean!
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 20 minutes 
Total Time 30 minutes Ingredients
- 2 cucumbers peeled and halved lengthwise*
- 1 avocado cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp finely chopped red onion (optional)
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast halved lengthwise (sliced into cutlets)**
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 ¾ tsp kosher salt divided
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- *Smashing the cucumbers helps them absorb the dressing better, but you can also just chop them up. Keep the seeds!
- **You can also use chicken thighs – just pound them out like you would the cutlets.
Instructions
- Place your cucumbers, cut side down, into a large plastic or reusable ziploc bag (to prevent splatter). Use a rolling pin to smash the cucumber into pieces (put some muscle into it!). Tear remaining large chunks into pieces. Alternatively, just chop it into bite-sized pieces. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the avocado, red onion (if using), vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and ½ teaspoon salt. Toss to coat. Set aside to marinate.
- Place a piece of parchment on top of your cutting board. Place the chicken cutlets on top. Place another piece of parchment over top. Use a rolling pin to pound the chicken until it’s about ¼-inch thick (also requires some muscle). Season each side of the chicken generously with salt and pepper (about ¼ tsp salt per cutlet). Drizzle olive oil onto each side and rub it around to coat the chicken.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken cutlets to the pan and cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until browned and mostly cooked through. Flip over and cook for another 2 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. If you weren’t able to fit all of your cutlets onto the pan, carefully wipe out the skillet to get any burnt browned bits off. Repeat with any remaining cutlets and transfer to a plate. Don’t wipe out the skillet once all the chicken is cooked.
- Add tomatoes, ¼ cup water, and ¼ tsp salt to the hot pan and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any brown bits, until the tomatoes start to burst open, about 3 minutes. If the pan starts looking dry, just add some more water.
- Serve the chicken cutlets with burst tomatoes and top with cucumber avocado salad, cilantro, and a drizzle of the dressing that’s pooled at the bottom of the bowl.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Prep and marinate cucumbers/onion in the dressing. Add the avocado before eating.
- Slice and pound your chicken. Chicken cutlets/tomatoes can be cooked ahead and reheated.
Substitutions:
- To make vegan/vegetarian: pan-fry either tofu or tempeh in place of the chicken.
- Use pounded chicken thighs instead of breasts/cutlets
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Chicken: up to 4 days in the fridge
- Cucumber avocado salad: up to 4 days in the fridge
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Cut up the chicken cutlets and mix with leftover pasta and tomatoes (+ drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper) with a side of cucumber avocado salad
- Turn it into a big salad by adding leafy greens and tossing with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper.
- Warm up the chicken cutlets and tomatoes and serve with cucumber avocado salad.
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