The Best Chicken Cutlets Recipes

BREADED CHICKEN CUTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make bread crumbs: Trim the crust off the bread and discard, tear bread into pieces. Spread bread out on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute to dry out the bread. (Alternately, spread the bread out on a baking sheet and dry in a preheated 300 degree F oven for 22 to 25 minutes.) Pulse the dried bread or crumbs in a food processor with the thyme, lemon zest, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper.
• With the flat side of a cook's knife or the smooth side of a meat-pounder, pound each breast to equal thickness. Put the flour, eggs, and the bread crumbs each separately in 3 shallow dishes. Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Dip each breast into the flour, then shake off the excess. Next, run the breast through the egg to coat it lightly and hold the chicken over the liquid to let any excess fall back into the bowl. Finally, lay the chicken in the bread crumbs, turn it over and press it into the breading to coat. Lay on a piece of waxed paper.
• Heat a large skillet (12 inches in diameter) over medium heat. Add the oil. Lay 2 chicken breasts smooth-side down in the pan. Cook the chicken without turning until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook until equally brown on the other side, about 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining 2 breasts. Transfer chicken to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Place all 4 breasts on a rack over a baking pan and bake until firm to the touch, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
• Serving suggestion: Lemon wedges, thyme sprigs for garnish .

OLD-FASHIONED CHICKEN CUTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place a large oven-proof plate on the bottom rack.
• Dissolve salt and sugar in water in a 1-quart casserole dish. Place chicken in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Pat chicken dry and place on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Let air-dry for 10 minutes.
• Place bread in a blender or food processor; blend until crumbly, about 30 seconds. Mix bread crumbs with parsley in a shallow dish.
• Place flour in a shallow dish.
• Beat eggs with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a separate shallow dish.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge each cutlet in the flour, shaking off any excess; dip in the egg mixture and coat evenly in bread crumbs.
• Heat the remaining oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cutlets; cook until golden brown on the outside, no longer pink in the center, and juices run clear, 2 to 3 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove warmed plate from the oven; placed cooked cutlets on the plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

CRISPY CHICKEN CUTLETS

Steps:

• Freeze chicken breasts about 20 minutes or so.
• Cut chicken breasts in half horizontally and pound to ¼" thickness.
• Combine panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and garlic powder in a small shallow dish.
• Whisk egg in a separate bowl. Dip chicken in egg and then in the crumb mixture pressing to adhere.
• Preheat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Gently add chicken and cook 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and chicken reaches 165°F.

ITALIAN CHICKEN CUTLETS (THE BEST!)

Steps:

• Grate the cheeses, if needed. Mix the bread crumb ingredients in a bowl.
• If starting with thin chicken cutlets, proceed to the next step of pounding them. If starting with thick chicken breasts, you'll need to slice them thinly. On a large cutting board, use a large, straight-edged knife to thin the chicken breasts by slicing through them to cut them in half. (See the photo in the post.) It helps to place one hand flat on top of the chicken breast, while using the other hand to hold the knife while cutting through the chicken with a sawing motion. You will end up with two halves connected in the middle like a butterfly. Vertically slice through the center to separate the two halves.
• To pound your chicken cutlets, cover them with a large sheet of plastic wrap (to prevent a mess). Use a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy frying pan to pound the chicken so that it is no more than 1/4 inch thick. (It might be a bit thinner than that.) Lift the plastic, flip the chicken over, cover it again with plastic wrap, and pound the other side. Discard the plastic wrap and wash your hands well if you touched the raw meat.
• Crack your two eggs and add them to a small bowl, such as a pasta dish. Season the eggs with the salt and pepper and beat the eggs with a fork.
• Set up an assembly line from left to right with your chicken, the bowl of eggs, your bread crumb mixture and a clean platter. Use a fork to pierce a cutlet, dip it in the egg, then in the bread crumbs. Cover the breast with the bread crumbs and pat them onto the chicken with the fork or your hands. Flip the chicken over and bread the other side. Place the breaded cutlet onto the platter and continue until you have breaded all of your chicken. Discard any leftover egg mixture and any breadcrumbs that had raw chicken dipped in it.
• On the stove, heat your largest skillet on medium high. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and let it get hot. When the oil is sizzling, add some chicken cutlets to the pan in a single layer. You will probably need to cook them in two batches, since they won't all fit. Cook the chicken on the first side for almost three minutes, then flip the chicken over and cook it for another two minutes. The chicken should be golden brown on both sides.
• Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean platter. (You can cut into one to make sure it's done. It should not be pink inside.) Cover the chicken loosely with foil.
• If the olive oil has turned dark after cooking the first batch, remove the pan from the heat and wipe out the pan with paper towels. Add another 3 tablespoons of olive oil so you can cook the next batch of cutlets in clean oil.
• Continue cooking the rest of the cutlets. Let the cutlets rest under the foil for at least five minutes before serving, to help keep them juicy.
• Store leftover Italian chicken cutlets in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The leftovers are great in sandwiches.

BEST EVER CHICKEN CUTLETS

Steps:

• Add the breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, and 3/4 cup cheese to a medium shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then use your fingers to mix it together, working the garlic into the breadcrumbs until evenly distributed.
• In another medium, shallow bowl, whisk together 3 eggs with 1/2 cup cheese, a pinch of salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon water until combined.
• Pour the flour into another shallow bowl or plate, season with salt and pepper and mix to combine.
• Take one piece of thinly sliced chicken and place it on a cutting board. Place a piece of plastic wrap over top, then use a meat mallet to pound it out to be about 1/2 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
• Season each piece of chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Set up the breading station so that the chicken is on the far left, then next to it the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs, and then a landing plate or pan to hold the breaded chicken.
• Take a piece of chicken and dip it into the flour to coat on all sides, then tap off the excess (*See note).
• Next, dip it in the egg mixture and let the excess drip off.
• Transfer the chicken into the breadcrumbs. Be sure to press it down and move it around so that it's thoroughly coated. Place the chicken on the reserved plate, and repeat with the remaining pieces.
• Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Place 1-3 chicken breasts in at a time, depending on how many your pan can hold. Don't overcrowd the pan.
• Cook until golden brown on each side, then remove to a rack or paper towels to drain.
• Serve immediately, or place in a 250 degree F oven for up to 1 hour before serving to keep warm.

CRISPY ITALIAN CHICKEN CUTLETS

Steps:

• In a bowl beat the eggs with milk, fine salt and ground black pepper. Set aside.
• With a sharp knife slice the chicken breast horizontally, trying to make chicken slices as thin as possible.
• Place the chicken slices in the bowl with the beaten eggs and milk and set them aside to flavor, possibly in the fridge.
• Make homemade breadcrumbs using stale bread, breadsticks, saltine crackers, taralli and slices of bread loaf as long as they are dry or toasted.
• Place plenty of breadcrumbs on a plate then take the slices of chicken and bread them.
• In a large frying pan, pour all the vegetable oil. Once the oil has become hot, dip the breaded chicken cutlets.
• Once they are golden on both sides, take them out and dry them on a kitchen paper. Serve

SIMPLE FRIED CHICKEN BREAST CUTLETS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg, milk, and hot sauce together.
• In a wide, shallow bowl, combine the flour, Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• In a large, heavy, deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat about 1 inch of oil to 350 F/180 C/Gas Mark 4. Preheat the oven to 200 F if you are not serving the chicken cutlets immediately or if you are doubling the recipe and are cooking in batches.
• When the oil is hot , dip a chicken cutlet in the egg and milk mixture, coating both sides. Let excess drip off, then coat with the flour mixture. Carefully lower the coated chicken into the hot oil. Adjust the heat as needed if the oil gets too cold or hot. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
• Fry the chicken for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until browned and cooked through.
• Drain the chicken on layers of paper towels or brown paper bags. Once the oil returns to temperature, repeat with the remaining cutlets.
• Serve immediately or transfer to a large baking sheet and keep warm in a 200 F oven or warming drawer. Enjoy.

BEST EVER CHICKEN CUTLETS

Steps:

• 1. Wash and pat chicken dry. Carefully holding with the palm of your non knife hand, flat on top of the chicken breast, cut the brast in half horizontally, so that you now have two pieces that are the same size but thinner. Do the same with the rest of the chicken breasts. Place the chicken pieces between two pieces of waxed paper and pound them out until they have almost doubled in size. Do this with all the pieces
• 2. In another shallow dish, mix the bread crumbs, cheese and salt. Heat oil in large sauté pan over med high heat. Meanwhile, dip one piece of chicken into the egg bath, then into the bread crumb mixture, making sure it is coated on both sided. Place in pan to sauté three minutes on each side. Do this with all the chicken pieces.
• 3. Heat oven to 325 and place chicken on a cookie sheet and place in oven to keep warm while you prepare what ever sides you are going to serve. NOTE: If I were serving this to company, it would be as Chicken Malanese. Clean and chop three Belgium Endive bulbs, about 6 oz of Arugula washed, stemmed and chopped, and firm fresh plum tomatos chopped. Mix together and dress with a simple red wine vinegar and oil dressing made by mixing the two and adjusting for salt and pepper. Present to your guests with very hot chicken in center of plate, topped with very cold salad. Serve with good crusty bread. They combination of hot chicken and cold salad is amazing. I would usually preceed this with a soup course and follow with a decadent dessert.

THE BEST CHICKEN CUTLETS

Steps:

• Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise making 8 roughly equal pieces. (They should look like large chicken tenders.) Place one sheet of plastic wrap on a clean cutting board. Put one chicken piece in the center of the plastic wrap and top with another sheet. Pound the chicken with the flat side of a meat mallet, starting in the center and working your way to the edges, until the chicken is 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
• Set up a standard breading station: mix the flour, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes if using, if using, in a shallow dish.
• Beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon water in a second shallow dish.
• Mix the panko, Pecorino-Romano, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, the remaining 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, the remaining 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes if using, in a third shallow dish.
• Dredge one piece of chicken in the flour mixture, turning to coat evenly. Shake off any excess, then dip into the egg mixture, turning to fully coat it on both sides. Let the excess egg drip off, then press the chicken firmly into the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat on both sides and packing the crumbs into any crevices. Transfer the chicken back to the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
• Line a clean baking sheet with a clean wire rack. Heat 2 tablespoons of the unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add 2 pieces of chicken and cook until the breading is golden-brown and crisp and the chicken is just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to the clean wire rack, season with salt and hold in the oven at 200 degrees F to keep warm. Wipe the skillet clean and repeat with the remaining butter, olive oil and chicken, making 4 batches in total.
• Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.