What to use instead of chicken breasts
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Flat even cutlet that takes a breading and cooks through fast
A single muscle with no seams pounds out to an even thickness, which is what lets the crust brown and the middle finish at the same moment.
Boneless chicken thighs, opened out and poundedRan out
2 thighs, about 4 oz each, per 8 oz breast, 2 to 3 min more per side
Darker, richer and far more forgiving about timing. The edges are ragged, so the breading is patchier.
Pork loin cutletsRan out
1:1 by weight, pounded to 1/4 in
Cooks in about the same time and stays juicier. Sweeter, and it browns harder because of the higher fat.
Turkey breast cutletsRan out
1:1 by weight
The closest match on the list. Very slightly coarser grain and it dries out about a minute sooner.
Extra-firm tofu, pressed and slicedPlant-based
14 oz block pressed 30 min, cut into 4 slabs, per 2 cutlets
Holds the breading well and crisps hard. No juice inside, so it needs a wetter sauce over it and more salt in the dredge.
What doesn't work: Chicken tenders standing in for a pounded cutlet. They are a separate muscle with a tendon running the length of them, so they contract and curl as they hit the pan and the breading splits along the outside of the curl.
Lean protein cut into pieces for a sauce or stew
Breast meat holds its shape in cubes and stays pale, so the sauce is what you taste and the meat carries it.
Boneless chicken thighs, cubedRan out
1:1 by weight, 5 to 8 min more simmering
Will not dry out even if you forget it. Darker meat and the sauce picks up more chicken flavour and a little more fat.
Turkey breast, cubedRan out
1:1 by weight
Nearly identical behaviour. Slightly firmer bite and it takes salt more slowly.
ChickpeasPlant-based
1 15 oz can, drained, per 1 lb chicken, added in the last 10 min
The sauce needs more salt and an acid at the end because there is no meat juice going into it. Thickens as the beans soften.
Extra-firm tofu or tempeh, cubed and browned firstPlant-based
14 oz per 1 lb chicken, browned hard before the sauce goes in
Soaks up the sauce rather than sitting in it, so make half again as much. Browning first is what stops it going spongy.
What doesn't work: Rotisserie chicken added at the start of the simmer. It is already cooked through and salted, so twenty minutes in the sauce squeezes the last of the moisture out and it goes to dry strings. It works if you stir it in at the very end.
Thick intact muscle you can butterfly and stuff
A whole breast is one solid piece with no seams, so it can be cut open, filled and sealed without leaking under heat.
Pork loin, cut into thick chops and pocketedRan out
1:1 by weight, 5 min more in the oven
Seals better than chicken and stays juicier. Sweeter against a ham-and-cheese filling.
Two thighs overlapped and rolledRan out
2 boneless thighs per breast, overlapped, pounded flat, rolled and chilled 30 min
The seam is the weak point, so tie it or wrap it. It leaks more butter than a whole breast does.
Veal or turkey escalope, rolledRan out
1:1 by weight, pounded to 1/4 in and rolled around the filling
Thinner walls, so the filling heats through faster and there is less margin before the meat overcooks.
What doesn't work: Thin-sliced cutlets straight from the pack. There is not enough meat to wrap and seal around a core of butter, and a chicken kyiv built from them blows out in the fryer within a minute.