These Chicken Cutlets are SO good, you'll never need another Chicken Cutlet recipe (isn't that always the case with recipes from Grandma?!)!
Try these other delicious chicken recipes like Easy Grilled Chicken Thighs, Baked Chicken Tenders and Chicken and Rice Casserole.
Chicken Cutlets
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I think everyone has their own unique fried chicken cutlets recipes. Amiright? Maybe it's just that everyone I grew up around had their own variation of this popular and tasty dish. I mean, why not? It's breaded chicken, what's not to like? They're pan fried until golden in bread crumbs and Romano cheese and full of awesome flavor! This is my version of my Grandma Rosie's Chicken Cutlets recipe.
J requests this dish quite a bit. It's a simple dinner full of delicious flavor and doesn't require too much work, so it's totally doable for a weeknight dinner. The best part is, these little guys are completely addictive. Seriously, you're not going to want to stop eating these Italian chicken cutlets once you start!
Tips for how to make chicken cutlets
- You can cut and pound out your chicken breasts in advance to make these even quicker. Pound them between pieces of plastic wrap with a meat mallet for easier clean up.
- Place the breading ingredients into shallow bowls and dip the chicken pieces, turning to coat. You will need to use your fingers to evenly coat the chicken in the mayonnaise.
- When breading the chicken, have one hand for wet ingredients and one hand for dry ingredients- this will make it go faster with less mess.
- Fry over medium high heat being sure to manage the heat and add more olive oil if needed.
- When finished frying they should be golden brown and cooked almost all the way through. They will finish in the oven.
- If you’re using the optional splash of wine (Do it! The alcohol totally cooks off and the flavor is amazing!) make sure it’s really just a teeny splash because any more than that will make the bottoms soggy.
What is the difference between a chicken breast and a chicken cutlet?
The chicken breast is the cut of chicken used and the chicken is the preparation of the chicken breast (in this case, cut smaller and pounded thin).
Can I bake these?
I wouldn't encourage you to make these as baked chicken cutlets. While they will still be tasty, they benefit from being fried in oil.
How do you know when chicken cutlets are done?
The safe temperature for consuming poultry is 165 degrees. I like to pull them at 161 degrees and rest them for 5 minutes- during the rest time they will continue cooking and reach 165 degrees.
Do I have to use mayonnaise?
The original way to make this breaded chicken recipe is to use mayonnaise as the wet part of the breading. It’s a teeny bit more labor intensive, but not terrible. And the flavor cannot be beat! I use my fingers to rub on a thin layer of the mayonnaise before covering them in the bread crumb mixture. If you’re in a super rush or don’t want to deal with the mayo, you can always beat a few eggs to use.
Is there a substitute for white wine?
You can omit it entirely or sub in a splash of chicken broth.
How can you use chicken cutlets?
This makes an excellent base recipe. From here you can take it in so many directions. You could make a really tasty lemon-cream pan sauce to serve over them. You could turn them into Chicken Parmesan with some Marinara Sauce and some mozzarella cheese. You can cut them up and serve them over Pasta Pomodoro. They also taste great on a salad. I personally like them best on their own served alongside my Roasted Potatoes and Peas with Onions.
Ingredients for breaded chicken cutlets
- Olive oil
- Flour
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Mayonnaise
- Seasoned bread crumbs
- Romano or Parmesan cheese
- Chicken breasts
- White wine
Ingredients to prep ahead:
- Trim and pound chicken
Helpful tools:
- Large saute pan
- Wooden spoon
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- ¼ cup flour
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup mayonnaise (or 2 eggs, beat)
- ¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs
- ¼ + ⅛ cup Romano cheese (or parmesan cheese)
- 3 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded thin and cut into slices 1 inch wide slices
- 1 splash white wine (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix the bread crumbs with the cheese and set aside.
- Place a couple tablespoons of oil into the pan and heat over medium to medium-high heat.
- Cover each piece of chicken in flour (shake off the excess so that it's lightly coated).
- Turn the chicken pieces over in mayonnaise or egg to coat evenly. If you're going the mayonnaise route, use your fingers.
- Cover each piece of chicken in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Once the chicken is fully coated in bread crumbs, shake off the excess and place them into the pan, working in batches so as not to overload the pan.
- Fry the chicken for a couple minutes on each side, turning when they're golden brown (manage the heat and the oil in the pan- adding more or less as needed).
- Once all the chicken is golden on each side, move them all into an oven-safe pan.
- Pour a small splash of white wine over them (don't use too much or the bottom ones will get soggy).
- Place in the oven for around 10-15 minutes to finish cooking. Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat.
Video
Notes
If you tried this recipe please comment and rate it 🙂 I love hearing your feedback and answering your questions!
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