Russian-Style Chicken Cutlets - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 lb ground chicken
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
5 tablespoons butter, 3 of them at room temperature
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons cooking oil

Preparation

Break the bread into pieces.
In a large bowl, soak the bread in the half-and-half until the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes.
Mix in the chicken, egg, salt, pepper, dill and the 3 tablespoons room-temperature butter.
Put in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up.
Remover the chicken mixture from the freezer; it will still be very soft.
Form the mixture into four oval cutlets and coat them with the bread crumbs.
In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the oil over moderate heat.
Cook the cutlets until golden brown and just done, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
Variation for Italian-Style Chicken Cutlets: Omit the dill.
Use half bread crumbs, half grated Parmesan cheese to coat the cutlets.