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Breaded Chicken Cutlets give you moist pieces of chicken that are coated in a golden, crispy breading. They are much easier to make than you think and are ready in under 30 minutes.
Be sure to try my Crockpot Whole Chicken next!
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
- Crispy Chicken Cutlets – The cutlets are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, thanks to the panko breading and frying technique.
- Versatile – Cutlets are great on their own with a simple side or served on top of a salad, pasta, or in a wrap.
- Simple Ingredients – You may already have many of the ingredients on hand!
Ingredients Needed For Breaded Chicken Cutlets
Pick up some chicken cutlets at the store (or make your own using chicken breasts) and a few other simple ingredients to make this easy chicken recipe.
- Chicken Cutlets – Or boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in half horizontally and pounded to ¼ inch thickness.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Cornstarch – this helps the breading stay extra crispy.
- Eggs – Beaten to make the egg wash so the breading sticks.
- Panko Breadcrumbs – You can also use regular breadcrumbs
- Grated Parmesan Cheese – Don’t use shredded. You want it to be very fine.
- Spices – Salt, Pepper, Dried Italian Seasoning, Paprika, Garlic Powder
- Oil for Frying – such as canola oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil.
- Fresh Lemon Slices and Parsley – Optional for a garnish.
How To Make Breaded Chicken Cutlets
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Prep – Start by seasoning the chicken cutlets with salt or pepper. Set up your dredging stations by combining flour and cornstarch in one shallow bowl (or plate), the beaten eggs in a second, and the breadcrumbs, parmesan, and remaining spices in a third.
Heat Oil – Fill a large cast iron skillet (or other heavy skillet) with ¼ inch of oil and heat over medium.
Bread and Cook Chicken – I like to cook 2 cutlets at a time. Dip the cutlet first in the flour (shake off excess), then the egg mixture, and finally dredge in the breadcrumbs. Fry in the hot oil for 3-5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through (internal temp of 165 degrees F). Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate or rack.
Repeat and Serve – Repeat with remaining cutlets and serve with some fresh chopped parsley and lemon slices.
Recipe FAQs
If you can’t find chicken cutlets, you can make your own by cutting chicken breasts in half horizontally and pounding them out to an even ¼ inch thickness using a meat mallet or heavy rolling pin. Make sure to cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap before pounding them so raw chicken juice doesn’t splatter everywhere.
The cutlet breading sticks to the chicken thanks to the beaten egg. The combination of dipping in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs gives a nice breading. I like to really press the breadcrumbs into the egg mixture as well.
You dip the chicken in flour before dipping in the egg. The flour helps dry the chicken and absorb the moisture so the egg can stick. If you don’t use flour, the egg can slide right off of the chicken cutlets.
No, you bread the raw chicken and then cook it all at once. The breading gets golden brown and crispy while the chicken stays moist and tender.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken cutlets are very versatile and can be served with sauces such as piccata or a lemon cream sauce or made into a Chicken Parmesan. It can be used to top pasta dishes (like lemon butter pasta or salads (such as a Caesar salad or Arugula Salad), and makes an excellent chicken sandwich or wrap.
For some easy side options, we love roasted lemon potatoes, air fryer asparagus, or garlic green beans.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Cutlets can also be frozen tightly wrapped for up to 3 months.
Reheat in a 350℉ oven until heated through to 165℉ or reheat in an air fryer at 400℉ for 5-7 minutes.
Expert Tips
- Make Ahead – You can bread the chicken a few hours in advance and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook. Let it sit out for 20 minutes before frying.
- Even Sized Cutlets – It’s best to pick cutlets that are a similar thickness so they cook at similar rates. If some of your cutlets are thicker or thinner, just keep this in mind when frying.
- Breading – Using all three breading steps (flour, egg, breadcrumbs) gives you a nice breading that sticks to the chicken. You can also let the fully breaded chicken sit for 5 minutes before frying to help the breading set up.
- Don’t Crowd the Pan – When frying, you don’t want to overcrowd the pan. It will depend on your skillet size, but I like to fry two cutlets at a time.
More Chicken Recipes
Breaded Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken cutlets or 2 large chicken breast cut in half horizontally and evenly pounded to ¼" thickness
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese not shredded
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Oil for frying
- Lemon slices and chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Season the chicken cutlets with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.
- Set up the dredging station: In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour and cornstarch and set aside. In a second shallow bowl or plate place the beaten eggs, set aside. In a third bowl or plate combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan and the remaining seasonings.
- Fill a large cast iron or heavy skillet with ¼” of oil and heat oil over medium heat.
- Cooking 2 cutlets at a time so as not to crowd the pan, dip the cutlet first in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess flour. Then dip the floured cutlet into the egg mixture, letting any excess drop off, and finally dredge the cutlet into the breadcrumbs mixture, pressing them in to firmly adhere the crumbs.
- Fry in the hot skillet for 3-5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through to 165℉. Remove to a paper towel lined plate or a wire rack to drain off excess grease. Sprinkle with additional salt if desired. Repeat with remaining cutlets.
- Top with fresh chopped parsley and thin lemon slices for garnish.
