Made with simple ingredients, this Chicken Milanese recipe comes together quickly for the perfect weeknight dinner. Pan-fried until golden and crispy, this chicken recipe will become a household favorite.
Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise creating 4 cutlets in total. Place each cutlet between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound the cutlet to ¼-inch thickness. Remove the plastic wrap and pat the cutlets dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle them all over with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
In a shallow dish, place the flour. In a separate shallow dish, place the beaten eggs. In a third shallow dish, place the panko. Working with one cutlet at a time, dredge each piece in flour, then shake to remove any excess. Coat in the egg and then in breadcrumbs, pressing gently to adhere. Place on a tray or plate.
Line a plate or tray with a few paper towels.
Heat ½ cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Add 2 breaded cutlets. Cook, until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown and a food thermometer inserted into the center registers 165°F. Remove and let drain on the paper towels.
Add the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil to the skillet. Repeat the cooking process with the remaining 2 breaded cutlets. Season the cutlets with ¼ teaspoon of salt.
In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, lemon juice, parmesan, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Serve the chicken immediately with arugula salad and extra lemon wedges.
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Notes
It’s best to serve chicken Milanese immediately, as the coating on the chicken will soften as it sits.
Do not skip pounding the chicken breasts thin. Doing so ensures that they will cook through quickly. They will stay moist as you don’t risk the exterior drying out as the interior cooks.
If you don’t have panko breadcrumbs, you can swap them for regular breadcrumbs. It won’t be as crispy, but it’ll still be delicious.
Make sure that the oil is hot before adding the breaded chicken to the pan, or the chicken will become greasy. The oil should be shimmering and if you drop a piece of panko in, it'll sizzle if the oil is ready.
Press the chicken cutlets into the panko breadcrumbs, so they’re evenly coated, you don’t want spots without any panko.