Recipe: Turkey Tender Parmesan With A Lemon-Caper Sauce
Using turkey in a Parmesan dish isn't only helpful to the food budget — it's a tasty, tender alternative.
As you might guess, this is my riff on chicken Parmesan, just better because the turkey tenders are huge compared to chicken and extremely, well, tender! This cut of lean meat is nestled right under the breast and each tender can easily feed two people — helpful for the food budget, which is a little stressed these days. I have long been in the camp of folks who like turkey even when other gourmets and foodies would look down their snouts at such a “flavorless bird.” I don’t agree. In the right hands, from the people who thoughtfully raise the pastured birds and the careful attention to technique by the cook, turkey can be a real treat.
One big difference I can share with you between a home cook and a professional cook is that we professionals always season (salt and pepper at a minimum) each element of a dish we are breading. We season the meat, the egg wash, and the flour. The breadcrumbs usually don’t need more seasoning but please, don’t forget to season the egg wash and the flour you use for dredging — it will make all the difference. But keep in mind the aggregate amount of seasoning between all the elements and have a light, but determined hand. The lemon-caper sauce is really just a grace note — not strictly necessary, but for my taste buds the briny capers and the tart lemon create a lift to all the layered flavors of the turkey, cheese and breading that are indispensible.
Turkey Tender Parmesan with a Lemon-Caper Sauce
For 4
2 turkey tenders, cut in half lengthwise and pounded to ½ inch thickness
1 T. minced fresh thyme
1 T. freshly grated lemon zest
Salt and pepper
2 eggs, whisked, seasoned lightly with salt and pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour, seasoned lightly with salt and pepper
2-3 cups panko or other bread crumbs
Canola oil as needed for frying the cutlets— approximately 1 cup
2 cups good quality marinara sauce
8 oz fresh mozzarella
2-3 oz freshly grated Parmesan (I prefer the real deal Parmigiana Reggiano)
Lemon-caper sauce:
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 T. capers, drained
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Simply combine all these ingredients before serving.
2 cups fresh local arugula
For the turkey Parmesan:
Season the pounded tenders with the thyme, lemon zest, salt and pepper about 1 hour before breading — keep in the fridge during this time.
Set up your breading station: Set up a large plate with the seasoned flour. Whisk the eggs and season lightly with salt and pepper and pour into a shallow dish that can accommodate the pounded turkey. Set up a large plate with the bread crumbs.
First dredge both sides of the turkey in the flour and shake off the excess. Dip completely in the egg mixture and then into the bread crumbs. Set aside without stacking the breaded cutlets until ready to shallow fry.
In the meantime, heat up your marinara sauce and get your cheeses ready. Also preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Have a sheet pan ready for baking the cutlets.
Bring the canola oil to the point that it shimmers in a large skillet. Fry two cutlets at a time until they are nicely golden brown on both sides. Remove from the skillet and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the other two cutlets.
Spoon some of the marinara on each cutlet, about ¼ cup per cutlet. Arrange the fresh mozzarella over the sauce and sprinkle with a small amount of the Parmesan. When all the cutlets are dressed, place in hot oven at 350 degrees until the cheese melts and starts to brown. The turkey should reach 160 degrees internal temperature.
Serve with the fresh arugula and a nice drizzle of the lemon-caper sauce.
