Is there anything better than a crispy chicken cutlet? Lightly breaded, pan-fried to golden perfection, crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. These Crispy Chicken Cutlets are versatile enough to be eaten on their own with a side of veggies or a salad, put into a sandwich, or eaten alongside silky pasta.
Anytime we can't figure out what to eat, chicken cutlets is always the move. They're grown up chicken nuggets after all, aren't they?
We like to dip them in a variety of sauces, chop them up and put them in salads, or just have them on hand for a good crispy sandwich.
Try these beautifully fried chicken cutlets for dinner this week! I hope you and your family love them!
What do you need to make crispy chicken cutlets?
- chicken breast
- flour
- eggs
- panko breadcrumbs
- parmesan cheese
- lemon
- spices: Italian seasoning, parsley, salt/pepper
- olive oil
Any recommended equipment?
How to make chicken cutlets:
Split the chicken breasts in half lengthwise and season liberally with salt and pepper. If they are oddly shaped pound them out to about ¼" to ½" thickness so they have similar cooking times.
Set up a dredging station with 5 shallow plates (I LOVE these plates from Amazon, we use them every night!):
Plate 1: The chicken
Plate 2: The flour
Plate/Bowl 3: The whisked eggs
Plate 4: The seasoned breadcrumbs
Plate 5: Leave empty for the breaded chicken
How should you season the breadcrumbs?
Season the panko breadcrumbs with lemon zest, parsley, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese. The parmesan cheese should be salty enough, so be sure to omit the salt here. You should also be salting immediately out of the frying pan for best practice. So skip the salt for now!
Start with dipping the chicken into the flour and shaking off the excess.
Now dip the chicken into the egg mixture (I like to use silicone tongs for this!), thoroughly coat the chicken in whisked egg to be sure your breadcrumbs stick!
Now press the chicken into the breadcrumbs making sure to coat it well on all sides. Move the prepared chicken to the "ready plate". Alternatively, you could drop your first 2 pieces of chicken into the oil while you dredge the remaining two.
Fry the chicken on either side in the olive oil for 5 - 6 minutes over medium heat, or until golden brown.
Remove the chicken from the oil when the breadcrumbs are golden and the chicken measures 165° internally. Lightly salt when it's hot off the stove! (Frying 101)
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before cutting into it and serve with fresh cut lemon wedges!
Storage:
This chicken will actually keep pretty well in the fridge for leftovers the next day! To keep the breadcrumbs somewhat crispy, you can place in into a little parchment paper packet inside of your container. The parchment paper will help keep it from becoming one with the container so you won't loose your precious breadcrumbs!
What to serve with Crispy Chicken Cutlets?
I love to serve these with my Baked Cannellini Beans and a Parmesan and Lemon Arugula Salad! This is probably one of my top 10 favorite meals!
I hope you love this Crispy Chicken Cutlets recipe! If you try it, tag @atoastedcrumb on all socials!
Crispy Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup olive oil
- flaky salt, for garnish
- lemon wedge, for garnish
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise and season liberally with salt and pepper.
- If the chicken are oddly thick or disproportionately sized, lightly pound them to similar thickness beneath parchment paper or plastic wrap using a rolling pin.
- Set up a dredging station using shallow bowls. You need a separate plate/bowl for the flour, whisked eggs, and seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Season the breadcrumb plate with the lemon zest, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, and parmesan cheese.
- Dip each half of chicken into the flour first, shaking off any excess.
- Then into the whisked eggs.
- Then press the chicken into the seasoned breadcrumbs, ensuring to coat the chicken on all sides.
- Heat the olive oil in a cast iron pan over medium high heat.
- Place the chicken into the oil and fry for 5 - 6 minutes on each side until the breadcrumbs are golden brown, or the chicken measures 165° internally.
- Remove the chicken from the hot oil, dust with flaky salt, let rest for 5 minutes prior to slicing, and serve with a lemon wedge.
