Makes: 2 chicken cutlets | Total Time: about 20 minutes
Crispy chicken cutlets are one of those recipes that I think we should all have on hand. They’re chicken breast halves that are pounded thin, coated in a super flavorful, crispy breading, and shallow-fried in about 1/4″ of oil until golden brown. My version makes exactly two chicken cutlets, and the whole recipe takes about 20 minutes to make. You can add them to salads, pasta, sandwiches, wraps, or whatever sounds good!
Ingredients
- 1 Chicken Breast (about 8-10 ounces)
- 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt (I use Diamond Crystal brand), plus a pinch more for sprinkling onto the cooked chicken
- 3/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked Black Pepper
- Neutral Oil (like avocado or vegetable), for frying
Make these Crispy Chicken Cutlets
Step One: Slice the Chicken. Lay the chicken breast flat on a cutting board. Carefully slice the chicken breast in half horizontally, so it creates one thin top half and one thin bottom half. Just do this as best as you can, it doesn’t have to be perfect!
Step Two: Pound the Chicken Thin. Place one of the halves in the center of the cutting board and cover it with plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin (or in my case, an empty wine bottle) to pound the chicken until it is about 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with the second chicken breast. The key here is to make it as evenly thick as possible.
Step Three: Set up the “Breading Station”. Find three large, shallow bowls or containers that will mostly fit the chicken breasts. In the first bowl, combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and a few cracks or a pinch of freshly cracked black pepper. Stir to evenly combine. In the second bowl, combine 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and another few cracks of black pepper. Stir to combine. In the third bowl, add the egg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and more pepper. Use a fork to whisk the egg with the seasonings until the egg is frothy. Set the bowls up near one another so you can easily transfer the chicken from one to the next.
Step Four: Coat the Chicken in Breading. Place one chicken breast into the bowl of flour, coating both sides evenly. Transfer the chicken to the bowl with the egg, again coating both sides evenly with it. Then transfer it to the bowl of breadcrumbs, really press down into it so the breadcrumbs stick really well on both sides. You can flip it over a couple of times here to make sure it’s totally coated in breadcrumbs! Repeat with the second chicken breast. (The first one can just hang out on a plate while you do the second one).
Step Five: Cook the Chicken. Place a wire baking rack onto a rimmed baking sheet (I use this quarter sheet pan, which is 9 1/2-inches x 13 inches), and set it near the stovetop. Set the salt nearby, too. You’ll place the cooked chicken on here as soon as it comes out of the pan and sprinkle it with a little pinch of salt.
In a large, non-stick pan with high sides, add enough oil so it coats the entire bottom of the pan and comes up about 1/4″-inch on the sides of the pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is shimmering, but not smoking hot. Drop a breadcrumb into the oil to test the heat: if it starts sizzling, the oil is ready!
Cook one cutlet at a time for about 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. Immediately transfer the cooked chicken to the wire rack you prepared and sprinkle the chicken with a little pinch of salt. Repeat with the second chicken breast.
Let the chicken rest for a minute or two, then slice or serve warm!
Flavor Journal Notes:
- Panko breadcrumbs are a little bigger and more jagged than standard breadcrumbs, so they are super crispy on these chicken cutlets. You can definitely use standard breadcrumbs (unseasoned or seasoned) instead! They may not be quite as crunchy, but they’ll still be fantastic.
- Trim excess fat off of the chicken breast before slicing it. If there’s noticeable extra fat on the chicken breast, use kitchen scissors or a small paring knife to remove it.
- Neutral oil vs. olive oil. Either one works! You will pick up on the flavor of the olive oil a bit if you go that route though.
- Don’t skip sprinkling the salt at the end. It adds an extra pop of flavor and is so worth the minimal effort. You can also squeeze some lemon on top of these before serving if you want to add even more flavor pop!
- Check the bottom of the chicken as it cooks to see how the color is. Use tongs to gently lift an end of the chicken up after it has cooked for a couple of minutes to see what the color looks like. If it’s a golden brown, time to flip! Otherwise, let it go for another minute and check again.
- The second side usually cooks faster. The chicken and the oil are both hot at this point, so once you flip it over to cook on the other side, it will take about a minute less than the first side. Keep an eye on it!
How to Make it Yours
You can totally make these even more fun with added flavor, or make them so the flavor fits what you want to use them in!
- Garlic Parm: Swap 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs with finely grated Parmesan cheese. (This is SO good!) (Great for any use)
- Italian(ish): Add 1/4 teaspoon of Italian seasoning to the flour mixture, then another 1/4 teaspoon to the breadcrumb mixture. (Great for pastas)
- Everything Bagel: Sprinkle the cooked cutlets with a generous pinch of everything bagel seasoning instead of salt once they come out of the pan! (Great for salads)
What to Serve with Chicken Cutlets
- For a cozy dinner: pasta with marinara sauce & plenty of parm
- For a lighter dinner: a crisp Caesar salad (also with plenty of parm)
- For lunch: chopped and mixed into a wrap like this Chicken, Bacon, & Ranch Wrap
- For a simple version: on it’s own with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a side salad tossed with this Maple Balsamic Dressing
Wine Pairings 🍷
These TOTALLY depend on what you serve the chicken with! An unoaked Chardonnay or a crisp Italian Pinot Grigio would be so good with a chicken caesar salad! For pasta with red sauce, I’d lean towards Sangiovese or a lighter Italian red wine. On it’s own, a glass or two of Cava would be perfection. 🧡
These are legitimately so, so good. And if the whole process of making them sounds intimidating, I totally get that. But pounding the chicken is actually kind of therapeutic, and once you’re all set up (like the bowls are all prepared), it’s honestly pretty easy.
If you make these, let me know how it went! And come hang on social with me for more small batch AFJ recipes, behind-the-scenes stuff, and the latest fun stuff from my kitchen. 🙂
How to Make Crispy Chicken Cutlets (for two)
Ingredients
- 1 Chicken Breast about 8-10 ounces
- 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt plus a pinch more for sprinkling onto the cooked chicken
- 3/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked Black Pepper
- Neutral Oil like avocado or vegetable, for frying
Instructions
- Slice the Chicken. Lay 1 Chicken Breast flat on a cutting board. Carefully slice the chicken breast in half horizontally, so it creates one thin top half and one thin bottom half. Just do this as best as you can, it doesn’t have to be perfect!
- Pound the Chicken Thin. Place one of the halves in the center of the cutting board and cover it with plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin (or in my case, an empty wine bottle) to pound the chicken until it is about 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with the second chicken breast. The key here is to make it as evenly thick as possible.
- Set up the “Breading Station”. Find three large, shallow bowls or containers that will mostly fit the chicken breasts. in the first bowl, combine 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and a few cracks or a pinch of freshly cracked black pepper. Stir to evenly combine. In the second bowl, combine 11 cup Panko Breadcrumbs, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and another few cracks of black pepper. Stir to combine. In the third bowl, add 1 Large Egg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and more pepper. Use a fork to whisk the egg with the seasonings until the egg is frothy. Set the bowls up near one another so you can easily transfer the chicken from one to the next.
- Coat the Chicken in Breading. Place once chicken breast into the bowl of flour, coating both sides evenly. Transfer the chicken to the bowl with the egg, again coating both sides evenly with it. Then transfer it to the bowl of breadcrumbs, really press down into it so the breadcrumbs stick really well on both sides. You can flip it over a couple of times here to make sure it’s totally coated in breadcrumbs! Repeat with the second chicken breast. (The first one can just hang out on a plate while you do the second one).
- Cook the Chicken. Place a wire baking rack onto a rimmed baking sheet , and set it near the stovetop. Set the salt nearby, too. You’ll place the cooked chicken on here as soon as it comes out of the pan and sprinkle it with a little pinch of salt.
- In a large, non-stick pan with high sides, add enough oil so it coats the entire bottom of the pan and comes up about 1/4″-inch on the sides of the pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is shimmering, but not smoking hot. Drop a breadcrumb into the oil to test the heat: if it starts sizzling, the oil is ready!
- Cook one cutlet at a time for about 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. Immediately transfer the cooked chicken the prepared wire rack you prepared and sprinkle the chicken with a little pinch of salt. Repeat with the second chicken breast.
Nutrition
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