Barnyard Cutlets

A few years ago, we traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the City history, culture, and of course, the food scene! One of the dishes we tried there was called курячі котлети (or kuryachi kotlety). When translated, it means ‘chicken cutlets’ — tender, juicy, flavor-packed mini meatloaves! But for now, let’s just call them cutlets.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, California, there are a few stores that carry ingredients and food (including home-made) from Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union Republics, including Ukrainian and Russian. One of the stores we frequent offers borscht, caviar, and these round chicken cutlets, just like the ones we had in Ukraine. We’d pick up some of these cutlets on occasion for an easy dinner, but we thought it would be more fun to make them at home!

Somewhere along the way, we started calling them Barnyard cutlets, and the name stuck. Why the name ‘Barnyard’ cutlets? Maybe, because they’re made with chicken, pork, and eggs! Plus, it sounds funny 😊.

So here is our version of the recipe. The cutlets are pretty filling, especially if you have a side dish with it like salad or mac & cheese! In this case, we made them with sauteed baby bok choy. These cutlets are super easy to throw together and only require a few ingredients. Most of the stuff you probably already have in your kitchen.

Ingredients (makes 7-8 cutlets)

1 lb. ground chicken

1 lb. ground Italian sausage (mild)

½ cup panko or Italian style bread crumbs

1 egg

½ large onion (or about a cup) shredded with juice (a box cheese grater works great for this)

¼ tbs salt (+ / – to taste)

½ cup ketchup

2 tsp soy sauce (low sodium)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 425F and line the cookie sheet with foil.

2. By hand, mix chicken, sausage, egg, onion, and salt. Mix well, but do NOT overwork it. Let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes.

3. Roll into 3-4-inch-long oval-shaped loaves and place onto the cookie sheet.

4. Bake on the center rack for 20-25 minutes. Start checking after 20 minutes. You want a light golden brown on top.

5. The Glaze: While the cutlets are baking, mix the ketchup and soy sauce. If you like BBQ sauce, you can use that instead of the ketchup/soy sauce mixture. Actually, you can use whatever your favorite glaze is or none at all.

6. Once cutlets are done, take them out of the oven and turn the temperature up to broil.

7. Brush the tops and sides of cutlets with the glaze and place them back in the oven for about 1-2 minutes. You only want to set the glaze, not burn it, so keep an eye on it!

And Ta-Da! Chicken cutlets we discovered in Ukraine, then bought in a local European market in California, and now make these Barnyard Cutlets in our home kitchen 😊!

These barnyard cutlets refrigerate well and make great leftovers! We cook this dish fairly often and can eat the cutlets throughout the week. Slice them and fry in a skillet for hot sandwiches, or simply heat in the microwave. Super easy to make, and very versatile. If you like chicken and meatloaf, you’ll love these!

From our kitchen to yours! Enjoy!

And for more delicious recipes, inspired by our travels, we suggest checking out our Spanish Tapas dinner of Chorizo in Wine and Beans a la Catalana. Or maybe the Easy No-Bake Chocolate Blob Cookies for a simple but delicious desert!

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