Italian Chicken Cutlets
Italian chicken cutlets are one of my favorite chicken dishes of all time. If fried chicken and sautéed chicken had a baby, it would be these Italian chicken cutlets. Extremely crispy, flavorful, and versatile, this dish is a staple in my household…and should be in yours too! If you’ve never had these before, get ready because you’re in for a treat.
How are these versatile?
Before we get into how to make Italian chicken cutlets, let’s first talk about why you should make them. Besides the obvious (they taste so darn good), they can be used in so many dishes. Here is just the tip of the iceberg on what they can be used for:
- Eaten as is
- Chicken parmesan
- Chicken saltimbocca
- Any type of chicken sandwich or wrap
- As a side dish with any pasta (I made vodka sauce the other day and ate these with it. I now cannot wait to do that again!)
I am not exaggerating. These are really that versatile and THAT good. Now that you know that you need to make them, let’s get into how to do it.
Step 1: Season
First things first, you will need to either get thin-sliced chicken breasts or butterfly regular chicken breasts and pound them flat with a meat mallet like we did with our Chicken Piccata recipe. Once done, generously season both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. When I say generously season, I mean make sure all visible areas of the chicken are hit with the seasonings. Just be careful with the salt – it’s easy to overdo it with chicken.
Step 2: Coat
When coating the chicken, you will need two shallow dishes or trays. I use these coating trays from Pampered Chef. One tray will have Italian breadcrumbs and panko while the other will have 2-3 beaten eggs and soy sauce (optional). Yes, you heard that right – I said soy sauce. While you do not need to use soy sauce, I feel as though it brings great flavor to the dish. Dip both sides of the seasoned chicken into the egg mixture and then into the breadcrumbs/panko. Make sure to press the breadcrumbs/panko into the chicken to make sure it sticks really well. Once all pieces of chicken are coated, you’re ready for the final step.
Step 3: Shallow fry
The last step is to shallow fry your seasoned & coated chicken. Heat some oil in a large pan over medium-high heat – the oil will shimmer when you move it around when it’s hot enough. Working in batches (I cannot stress this enough), add the chicken cutlets and cook for 3 minutes per side. Since these cutlets are thin, they will cook all the way through in that time. But always check the internal temperature if you have any concerns. That’s all there is to it. You’re beautiful Italian chicken cutlets are ready to be devoured!
Like I said, this is one of my favorite chicken dishes!
I absolutely love this dish and it’s really not too difficult to pull off. Eat these as a main dish with a side of veggies and polenta or couscous. Add some cheese, sauce, and basil for some chicken parmesan. Or just make a sandwich with whatever toppings you like. No matter what you do, I guarantee that you will love these cutlets. They’re crispy, golden brown, flavorful, juicy, and delicious – the perfect chicken dish. Buon appetito!
Italian Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Chicken Breast
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Garlic Powder to taste
- Onion Powder to taste
- 1 Cup Italian Breadcrumbs
- 1 Cup Panko
- 3 Eggs beaten
- 1-2 tbsp Soy Sauce optional
- Avocado Oil for frying; other neutral oils work as well
Instructions
- Butterfly each chicken breast and add (one at a time) to a ziplock bag. Pound the chicken breast out with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or pan until it is flattened out to ~1/4 inch thickness. Alternatively, you can purchase thinly sliced chicken breast if your grocery store carries it. Season both sides of the chicken breasts generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Using two shallow pans, combine Italian breadcrumbs & panko in one and the beaten eggs and soy sauce (if using) in the other.
- Dip one piece of chicken in the egg mixture and then dredge into the breadcrumb/panko mixture. Make sure to press the breadcrumb/panko mixture onto the chicken and coat all sides. Set aside and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
- Heat avocado oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Oil will “shimmer” when heated enough and ready– do not add chicken before oil is heated. Add the chicken to the pan in batches, making sure not to overcrowd with too many pieces. Fry for 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding more oil if necessary. Enjoy!
