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Chicken Milanese

Chicken Milanese - light, crunchy and full of flavor!

5 from 4 reviews

Look no further, this is the BEST reicpe for Chicken Milanese EVER! Super crispy Italian chicken cutlets served with a lemony arugula tomato salad. SO good!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken

  • 3 cups panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 3 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsely
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 3/4 cup plus 1/2 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup AP flour
  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil for frying

For the Salad

  • 3 cups assorted heirloom tomatoes, cut into a large dice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced (optional)
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces fresh arugula, cleaned and dried (the spicier, the better)
  • 4 ounces (or more) Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano
  • lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

For the Chicken

  1. In a medium, shallow bowl, combine the panko, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, 3/4 cup pecorino Romano, and set aside. In another medium, shallow bowl, whisk together 3 eggs with 1/2 cup pecorino Romano and 1 tablespoon water until fully combined. Pour the flour into another shallow bowl or plate.
  2. Cut the chicken into thin, even slices. Take one piece of thinly sliced chicken and place it on a cutting board. Place a piece of plastic wrap over top, and use a meat mallet to pound it out to be about 1/2 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining chicken, then season each piece with salt and pepper, generously on each side.
  3. 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 another plate to hold the breaded chicken.
  4. Take a piece of chicken and dip it into the flour to coat on all sides, then tap off the excess (*See note). Next, coat it in the egg mixture, and let the excess drip off. Then, into the breadcrumbs. Be sure to press it and move it around so that it's thoroughly coated. Place the chicken on the reserved plate, and repeat with the remaining pieces.
  5. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat, and preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 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, and then remove to paper towels or a rack to drain. Place each piece on a sheet pan and hold in the oven while you cook the remaining chicken.

To Serve

  1. Combine the tomatoes, basil (optional), salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl and stir to combine. Just before serving, toss the arugula with the tomato mixture. Serve each chicken breast topped with a big handful of the salad, then use a vegetable peeler to shave some fresh parmigiano Reggiano over the top. Serve with extra lemon wedges.

Notes

  • *When breading, I try to designate one hand for touching only dry things, like flour and breadcrumbs, and one hand for touching only wet, like the raw chicken and eggs. This prevents you from breading your fingers in the process.

Nutrition

Keywords: chicken, cutlets, italian, milanese, fried, panko, arugula, salad, tomatoes, parmesan, the best, dinner, easy