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    Home » Recipes » Main Dish

    Italian Chicken Cutlets

    Published: Oct 17, 2021 · Modified: Sep 15, 2022 by Kelsey Smith

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    This Italian chicken cutlets recipe calls for thinly sliced chicken breasts, breadcrumbs, eggs, and seasoning for a crispy, tender, and juicy fried chicken.

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Italian chicken cutlets garnished with parsley surrounded by lemon slices.

    This is a family-favorite dinner that can be easily customized with your favorite seasonings. Make it your own.

    Pan-fried chicken is a classic dish. You'll love this recipe because the chicken is pounded thin so it fries in just minutes.

    This was inspired by Giada's pork Milanese, and pairs well with steamed broccoli, green beans, creamy kale pasta, or Italian tomato salad.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • Tips for Pounding Chicken Cutlets
    • Equipment
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Food safety
    • 💬 Comments

    Ingredients

    This recipe, like most of my recipes, uses several kitchen staples and easy-to-find ingredients.

    Italian chicken cutlet ingredients: raw chicken breasts, bread crumbs, parmesan, eggs, parsley, onion powder, olive oil, and lemon wedges.
    Italian chicken cutlets ingredients
    • Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    • Breadcrumbs (homemade or store-bought)
    • Shredded parmesan cheese
    • Parsley
    • Garlic powder
    • Eggs
    • Olive oil
    • Salt and pepper
    • Lemon wedges (optional, to serve)

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally so you have two thin cutlets. Hold the breast flat with the palm of your hand while you use the other hand to cut the chicken with a sharp knife.

    Cutting raw chicken breast in half horizontally with a knife while holding breast flat with the other hand.
    Slice the breast in half horizontally with a sharp knife.

    Pound chicken between two layers of plastic wrap using the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Flatten it evenly until it is about ¼–½ inch thick (see below for tips).

    Raw chicken breast between two layers of plastic wrap pounded thin with meat mallet.
    Pound the chicken evenly until thin.

    Combine bread crumbs, parmesan, parsley, and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Whisk eggs in a separate shallow dish.

    Two shallow dishes, one with whisked eggs and one with breadcrumb mixture.
    For coating the chicken.

    Dredge chicken in the egg (letting the excess drip off). Evenly coat both sides.

    Raw chicken breast sitting in shallow dish of whisked egg yolk.
    Coat the chicken in egg first.

    Coat evenly in breadcrumbs, pressing the chicken into the mixture for full coverage.

    Pressing raw chicken into breadcrumbs to evenly coat.

    Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium-high until hot. Fry two chicken cutlets at a time on both sides for about 2–3 minutes each until golden brown and chicken reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165°F.

    Breaded chicken cutlets frying in oil in a large pan with uncooked side facing up.
    Cook on one side for three minutes.
    Breaded chicken cutlets frying in oil in a large pan with cooked side facing up.
    Flip and cook on the other side for another 2–3 minutes.

    When cooked, place chicken on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil while chicken rests. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a lemon wedge.

    Italian chicken cutlets garnished with fresh parsley sitting on a cutting board.

    Tip: Always allow chicken to rest for several minutes before cutting. This will keep the chicken extra juicy.

    Sliced Italian chicken cutlets in one-inch strips.
    Slice into one-inch strips and serve with a lemon wedge.

    Substitutions and Variations

    I consider this recipe to be an excellent base recipe that can be altered and tweaked to meet your flavor cravings.

    • Chicken - Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can also be used but do not slice them in half. Chicken thighs take longer than chicken breasts to cook, so pan fry for about 5–6 minutes per side.
    • Breadcrumbs - Use homemade breadcrumbs or store bought. If you use Italian breadcrumbs, you can skip the addition of fresh parsley as Italian breadcrumb blends generally contain parsley already.
    • Spicy version - For a spicy chicken cutlet recipe, add ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper.
    • Seasoning - I like an Italian-flavored Italian chicken cutlet with thyme, oregano, and basil. Make it your own.
    • Oil - I use olive oil for this recipe, but you can also use vegetable oil.

    Tips for Pounding Chicken Cutlets

    Pounding the chicken thin is important in this recipe because it allows the chicken to cook quickly and in sync with the breadcrumbs. If breaded chicken is too thick, the breadcrumbs will burn before the chicken reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165°F.

    Additionally, it ensures the chicken cooks evenly.

    You'll need:

    • Meat tenderizer/meat mallet, rolling pin, or a similar kitchen object
    • Plastic wrap or a gallon-size zipper baggie

    All you need to do is:

    • Place the chicken in between two layers of plastic wrap or inside a gallon-size zipper baggie.
    • Pound the chicken with the meat mallet until it is evenly thin.

    Tips:

    Plastic wrap can move around and make a mess. A zippered food storage bag can be easier to use.

    If you use a baggie, place the chicken inside one breast/cutlet at a time and remove as much air as possible before sealing the bag. Then pound the meat.

    Equipment

    To make Italian chicken cutlets, you'll need a few kitchen tools:

    • Meat mallet, rolling pin, or something similar to pound the chicken
    • Plastic wrap or gallon food storage bag for pounding the chicken
    • Meat thermometer
    • Large frying pan - I use a large frying pan with side walls.
    • Tongs - I recommend using tongs when frying foods because it gives you more control and keeps your hands at a good distance from the skillet. In a pinch, a fork can work.

    📖 Recipe

    Close up of Italian chicken cutlets.
    Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved! Email Print

    Italian Chicken Cutlets

    This Italian chicken cutlets recipe calls for thinly sliced chicken breasts, breadcrumbs, eggs, and seasoning for a crispy, tender, and juicy fried chicken.
    5 from 1 vote
    Recipe by: Kelsey Smith
    Prep time: 10 minutes
    Cook time: 12 minutes
    Total time: 22 minutes
    Servings: 4

    Equipment

    • Meat mallet
    • Large frying pan
    • Meat thermometer

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    • 1 cup breadcrumbs
    • ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
    • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or dried parsley
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 2 eggs
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • lemon wedges to serve, optional

    Instructions
     

    • Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally so you have two thin cutlets. Pound chicken evenly until it is about ¼-½ inch thick.
    • Combine bread crumbs, parmesan, parsley, and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Whisk eggs in a separate shallow dish.
    • Dredge chicken in the egg (letting the excess drip off). Evenly coat both sides. Coat evenly in breadcrumbs, pressing the chicken into the mixture for full coverage.
    • Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium-high until hot. Fry two chicken cutlets at a time on both sides for about 2–3 minutes each until golden and chicken reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165°F.
    • When cooked, place chicken on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil while chicken rests. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a lemon wedge.

    Notes

    Nutrition was estimated using MyFitnessPal. Fat 19g, carbohydrates 17g, protein 32g.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 367kcal
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: chicken
    Tried this recipe?Rate it to let me know how it was!

    Food safety

    • Cook chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
    • Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
    • Wash your hands after touching raw meat
    • Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
    • Never leave the kitchen unattended when frying food
    • When using a hot oil, add food gently to the pan to avoid splatter

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov and NFPA.org.

    Italian Chicken CutletsItalian Chicken Cutlets

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    About Kelsey Smith

    I am a freelance content writer for college-level textbooks by day, mommy by night, and a blogger in between. I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband, Xavier. When I'm not working on college textbooks, you might find me here, sharing recipes, social media tutorials, and more.

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    1. Kelsey says

      October 17, 2021 at 11:00 pm

      5 stars
      This is my husband's favorite thing right now, he's asked me to make it multiple times.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kelsey! I am a freelance content writer for college-level textbooks by day, mommy by night, and a blogger in between. I live in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband, Xavier. When I'm not working, you might find me here, sharing easy comfort food recipes.

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