Italian Chicken Cutlets
Chicken breasts are transformed into thin cutlets, coated in breadcrumbs, Parmesan and seasonings and fried to perfection in this easy Italian chicken cutlets recipe.
You'll need just 20 minutes to make them, and they're one of the easiest weeknight meals you can make! Top the cutlets with a spoonful of Parmesan cheese salsa to make them more indulgent.
These cutlets are versatile and work wonderfully with a simple pasta dish or when paired with Aligot potatoes and a dollop of basil Gremolata.
You can keep them simple, or transform their flavors by playing around with the seasonings too. I love using my garlic bread seasoning to amp up that savory garlic aroma.
Quick Look: Italian Chicken Cutlets
- 🔪 Prep time: 5 minutes
- ⏲️ Cook time: 15 minutes
- 👪 Servings: 2 servings
- 📋 Main ingredients: Chicken breasts, flour, egg, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, seasonings and oil.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Slice and pound chicken breasts thin 🡢 dip in seasoned egg 🡢 coat with Parmesan breadcrumb mixture 🡢 pan-fry until golden and cooked through 🡢 serve.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- 🥣 Serving ideas: Serve with pasta, lemon Parmesan lettuce salad, roasted vegetables, or turn the cutlets into sandwiches and wraps.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
- They come together super quick, and need just a few simple pantry staples to make.
- With their subtle flavors, they are sure to be a hit with everyone in the family.
- They're customizable! You can add red pepper flakes to lend them some heat, or use a homemade ranch seasoning for that cheesy, tangy flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
Chicken breast: I have used skinless chicken breasts to make these cutlets, but you can choose to keep the skin on if you want to.
Flour + breadcrumbs: All purpose flour, combined with the breadcrumbs helps make the chicken cutlets crispy.
Eggs: To help the breadcrumbs stick to the cutlets.
Seasonings: I used a mix of garlic powder and Italian seasoning. You can also use mixed herb seasoning and add some fresh chopped garlic (or even my Air Fryer roasted garlic) for a flavor swap.
Parmesan cheese: Parmesan cheese adds that nice bit of saltiness and cheesiness to these breaded chicken cutlets.
Oil: You can use almost any oil to fry the chicken cutlets, but I like to use olive oil, vegetable oil or canola oil.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you don't have Parmesan at hand, but still want the dish to have that bit of cheesiness, you can use Pecorino Romano or grated Cheddar cheese.
- To make a dairy-free version, you can use vegan cashew Parmesan.
- Use crispy Italian breadcrumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs for a more flavorful result.
- Top the crispy chicken cutlets with Italian roasted sweet peppers or balsamic pickled onions to jazz them up a bit.
How to Make Italian Chicken Cutlets
Step 1: Slice chicken breasts horizontally and place them between your cutting board and a sheet of cling wrap.
Step 2: Pound the chicken until it is approximately ¼'' thick using a meat mallet.
Step 3: In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Step 4: In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with Parmesan, flour, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Step 5: Place one chicken breast into the egg mixture and coat on both sides. Now dip the chicken into the breading and make sure it is sticks to the chicken.
Step 6: Heat oil in a large pan on medium heat and place the chicken cutlets in, leaving a bit of space between each of them. Let the cutlets cook for 8-10 minutes, making sure you flip the chicken midway through the cooking time.
💭Top Tip
To check the doneness of the cutlets, use a meat thermometer. The key to getting the perfect juiciness on the inside is to keep the cutlets from getting overcooked.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Getting the perfect thin chicken cutlets is crucial to this recipe, and a great way to do that is to ensure that the chicken has roughly the same thickness all throughout, after you've pounded it.
- Remember not to overcrowd the pan while frying the cutlets. Adding too many of the cutlets at the same time will cause them to steam, and they won't have that crispy and crunchy texture that you're looking for.
- I would recommend using a skillet or a large pan to fry chicken cutlets. This ensures even distribution of heat, and gets the cutlets to be cooked to perfection. I always do this when I make French onion soup chicken too.
- Remember to let the cutlets rest for a while before you serve them. I usually cool the chicken cutlets on a wire rack for a couple minutes before I serve them. This helps the cutlets retain their juiciness on the inside, and become more nice and crispy on the outside.
- You can also choose to prep the chicken recipe in advance. Simply season the raw chicken with your choice of spices and seasonings and refrigerate it for an hour or two, or even freeze it for up to a month.
- To make Italian chicken cutlets a bit more spicy, you can add some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper while you season the chicken.
How to Serve Italian Chicken Cutlets
Top the crispy Italian chicken cutlets with a creamy roasted garlic Alfredo sauce or a vegan cashew Alfredo sauce, or pair them with Italian pan fried tomatoes or marinated tomatoes as a vibrant side.
You can also serve them with simple pasta dish featuring homemade cheese tortellini tossed in my garlic lemon butter sauce for pasta.
I love serving these cutlets with some Brabant potatoes or even my oven roasted broccoli and potatoes. For a more carb-y side, you can serve these with baked mac and cheese bites or my favorite one pan broccoli cheese rice.
To keep it light and simple serve the cutlets with a bowl of garlic mushroom soup or some Air Fryer Parmesan asparagus.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
You can, but I would highly recommend using boneless skinless chicken breasts, since they're the easiest to work with for this recipe. You can quickly get them into the perfect thin slices you need, without much effort.
You definitely can! If you don't want to use oil to fry chicken cutlets, and want to make them healthier, you can choose to bake them in the oven or even Air Fry them if you want to.
Your leftover chicken cutlets can be stored for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. I like to use an airtight food safe container to store my leftovers, because it keeps the food from catching any other smells.
The chicken cutlets can then be reheated in the microwave or in a pan on low heat with just a teeny drizzle of cooking oil.
More Italian Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
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Italian Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
- ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 cup oil for frying peanut, canola or sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice chicken breasts horizontally and place them between your cutting board and a sheet of cling wrap.
- Pound the chicken until it is approximately ¼'' thick using a meat mallet.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with Parmesan, flour, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Place one chicken breast into the egg mixture and coat on both sides. Now dip the chicken into the breading and make sure it is sticks to the chicken.
- Heat oil in a large pan on medium heat and place the chicken cutlets in, leaving a bit of space between each of them.
- Let the cutlets cook for 8-10 minutes, making sure you flip the chicken midway through the cooking time.
- Remove the cutlets from the pan and allow them to rest for a while before you serve them!
Notes
- Pound the chicken evenly so the cutlets cook at the same rate and stay tender.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying. Cook in batches if needed so the cutlets get evenly golden and crispy.
- For the crispiest coating, let the breaded chicken rest for 5–10 minutes before cooking.
- The cutlets are best served immediately, but leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheated in an oven or air fryer to bring back their crispiness.
