Crushed Nova Multigrain Chips form the crust on these pan-fried chicken cutlets.
After successfully making chicken chops with a Skyflakes crust, we can’t help but wonder what other crunchy snacks we can turn into chicken breading. Today it’s Nova, Cody’s favorite cheddar-flavored multigrain snack.
To turn five bags of Nova into breading, you want to crush the chips into rough, scraggly shards. We prefer doing this by hand, ie. with a Ziploc bag and a heavy object, so you have control over the size of your chips—you want uneven crumbs, not a fine powder.
The crushed Nova becomes the last stop in your dredging station. Once you’ve coated your chicken in flour and beaten egg, press it into the crushed Nova until a cheese-flavored, multigrain hug forms all around your chicken.
A flavored chip like Nova has extra seasonings that can cause it to burn faster. Watch your chicken closely while frying; lower the heat if it’s browning too quickly. This recipe should work in an air fryer as well. Because an air fryer circulates heat evenly, you’ll get a crispy chicken cutlet with less risk of burning.
Pound chicken: Place one chicken breast into a big piece of plastic wrap over a chopping board. Fold plastic wrap over, making sure to leave room all around the edges. Using the smooth side of a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin, pound chicken repeatedly, starting at the center then moving in a circular motion, until your chicken is about ½-inch thick. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper, then set aside.
Prepare Nova: Transfer Nova chips into a large plastic Ziploc bag and squeeze the air out. Seal the bag and, using a rolling pin or heavy pan, crush the Nova into small shards. Don’t crush the chips too finely that it turns into a powder! If you have one, you can also use a food processor to pulse the Nova into rough crumbs.
Dredge chicken: Place flour, eggs, and crushed Nova into three individual wide bowls or trays. Season flour with salt. This is your dredging station.
Working one piece at a time, dredge chicken breast in flour, turning to coat its entire surface. Shake off any excess flour. Transfer to the eggs, turning to coat until no dry spots remain. Let excess egg drip off, then transfer chicken to the crushed Nova. Flip to coat, piling crumbs over the cutlet and packing them down with your hands to get as much crumbs as you can on the chicken. Set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
Fry: Heat oil in a deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once oil is at 350°F, add chicken in batches and fry until evenly golden brown on the first side, about 2–4 minutes. Carefully flip and fry the second side, another 2–4 minutes. Transfer to a metal rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Repeat with remaining chicken chops. Serve immediately while hot and freshly fried.
