This Crispy Breaded Chicken Cutlets recipe is crispy, fast, and completely foolproof. Instead of panko, which has a habit of sliding right off the chicken the second it hits the oil, I toast sourdough bread and blitz it into super-fine breadcrumbs myself instead. It sounds like an extra step, and it is, but it's a super quick one that fixes the single biggest problem with fried chicken cutlets. What you get on the other side is a golden, crunchy, Italian-seasoned crust that clings to every bite of juicy chicken.
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If crispy, golden chicken is your love language, you're in the right place. These crispy baked chicken wings are another one of my go-to crunchy chicken dinners, and my bang bang chicken is just as crispy, tossed in a sweet and creamy bang bang sauce. For a more family style dinner, my chicken and asparagus stuffed chicken breast and bacon wrapped cream cheese stuffed chicken breast are both great options. And if you end up with leftover chicken cutlets, try them on my fig and brie chicken sandwiches instead of the grilled chicken or in my chicken parmesan sandwiches for an easy next-day lunch.
Why You'll Love These Chicken Cutlets
- The breading actually stays put. Toasted sourdough breadcrumbs cling to the chicken through the whole fry, unlike panko, which tends to fall off in clumps the second it hits the hot oil.
- Ready in about 30 minutes. From pounding the chicken to plating dinner, this is a great option for a weeknight recipe, not a whole day weekend project.
- Bursting with Italian flavors. Turn simple chicken breast into something that tastes like it came from a restaurant.
- Use them in a ton of different ways. Eat them straight off the pan dipped in marinara sauce, slice them and use them in a salad like my honey hot chicken salad, tuck them into a sandwich, or turn them into chicken Parmesan.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Sourdough Breadcrumbs: Sourdough is my top pick for flavor and crunch but regular bread works too, homemade no knead bread is great for this, or you can use store-bought breadcrumbs in a pinch, but they won't taste as fresh.
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breast is the classic choice for chicken cutlets, but boneless skinless chicken thighs make a great dark meat swap, and turkey breast works here too.
- Italian Seasoning: A store-bought blend works perfectly, or make your own by combining dried oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, and a pinch of garlic powder.
You can find all the ingredients and their quantities in the recipe card below.
Customizations & Recipe Variations
- Spicy Italian: Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the breadcrumbs for a little extra heat.
- Extra Cheesy: Press a slice of mozzarella onto each hot chicken cutlet right after frying and let it melt for a cheesy treat.
- Lemon Herb: Add lemon zest to the chicken seasoning, then finish the cooked cutlets with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
- Buttermilk Soak: Let the chicken breast sit in a buttermilk bath in the fridge for 1 hour before breading for an even juicier, more tender cutlet. Discard all buttermilk after soaking the raw chicken.
- Make It Gluten-Free: Swap the sourdough for your favorite gluten-free bread and use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for the dredge.
If you love golden and crispy bites, you have to try my mac and cheese bites with marinara, my delicious coconut shrimp recipe, or my crispy tofu, which is a great topping for any salad or bowl.
How To Cook Chicken Cutlets
Make The Sourdough Breadcrumbs
Start by toasting your sourdough (or regular bread) in the oven for 8-10 minutes. The bread should come out completely hard and dried out (but not burnt). Regular bread burns quicker and easier than sourdough due to its moisture content, so keep an eye on it.
Once cooled, pulse it in a food processor into fine breadcrumbs.
Set Up The Breading Station
Grab three large shallow bowls for your breading station. Fill one with flour and spices, the second with whisked eggs, and the third with the sourdough breadcrumbs.
I keep the sourdough breadcrumbs plain here on purpose. All the seasonings go directly onto the raw chicken and into the flour instead, so the spices don't scorch during frying.
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Season The Chicken
Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until they are a thin, uniform thickness. Sprinkle both sides with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Bread The Cutlets
Dip each seasoned cutlet into the flour, coating it completley, then shake off the excess. Dip it into the egg, turn it to coat fully, then press it into the breadcrumbs, turning and pressing firmly so they really stick.
Transfer raw breaded cutlets to a clean sheet of parchment paper and repeat until all are breaded.
Fry Until Golden
In a large deep skillet, heat 2 inches of oil until it reaches 350°F. Fry the cutlets a few at a time, without overlapping or overcrowding the pan, for 3-4 minutes per side, until deeply golden.
Finish In The Oven
Transfer the fried chicken cutlets to a baking sheet lined with a wire rack and keep them in a 350°F oven while you fry the rest. This keeps them crispy instead of soggy, and gives any thicker parts of the cutlets a few extra minutes to finish cooking through. Ensure that all of the cutlets are at a safe internal temprature of at least 165°F before serving.
Serve The Crispy Chicken Cutlets
Transfer the golden and crispy chicken cutlets to a serving plate, garnish with lemon wedges, fresh herbs, and marinara sauce on the side for dipping, and serve immediately.
Tips For Perfect Crispy Chicken Cutlets
- Let the breading rest before frying. Five to ten minutes on a wire rack helps the coating set so it doesn't fall off in the fryer. This is why we prepare all of the cutlets before we fry them.
- Watch the oil temperature and use a high smoke point cooking oil. Around 350°F is the optimal oil temperature. If it is too cool, the oil will absorb into the breading and come out greasy, too hot, it will burn before the chicken cooks. Good frying oil options are canola oil or vegetable oil.
- Don't overcrowd the pan. Fry the cutlets in batches so the oil temperature doesn't drop dramatically, which is one of the most common reasons the breading turns soggy.
- Press the breadcrumbs on. Firmly pressing the breadcrumbs into the chicken is what gives you that thick, even cling to the chicken crust.
How To Store & Reheat
- Storage: Store leftover fully cooked chicken cutlets in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Reheat in the oven or air fryer for the best results and to keep the crust crispy. The microwave can be used in a pinch, but the breading will not stay crispy.
Frequently Asked Questions
A chicken cutlet is a boneless, skinless chicken breast that's been sliced in half horizontally and pounded to an even, thin layer. That thinness is what lets it cook fast and evenly, whether you're breading and frying it like we are here, or using it in dishes like chicken piccata or chicken parmesan sandwiches.
Chicken cutlets come from the whole chicken breast, sliced and pounded thin, while chicken tenders are separate, naturally long, narrow pieces of meat located beneath the chicken breast. Cutlets are also wider and flatter.
Letting the chicken cutlets rest before frying is step one for success. From there, frying in oil that is hot enough matters most, since breadcrumbs in oil that's too cool will soak up the grease and slide right off. I also find panko is more prone to slipping or falling off than a pressed on breadcrumb coating.
Absolutely, both work well, but frying is what gives this recipe its ultra-crispy crust. For the air fryer, cook at 400°F for 12-14 minutes, flipping halfway, and a quick spritz of avocado oil helps them brown up nicely. For the oven, bake at 425°F on a wire rack for 20-22 minutes, flipping halfway. Whichever method you choose, make sure the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F before serving.
Yes, panko will work, just know the coating might slip off easier when frying, so be gentle.
What To Serve With Crispy Chicken Cutlets
Pasta is the perfect accompaniment for a crispy chicken cutlet, so make it a pasta night and don't forget the garlic bread made with roasted garlic!
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Crispy Breaded Chicken Cutlets
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Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 3 large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- ⅔ cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 Tablespoons Water
- 1 ½ cups Sourdough Breadcrumbs
- 3-4 cups Canola or Vegetable Oil for frying
- Lemon Wedges optional, for serving
- Fresh Parsley or Basil optional, for serving
- Marinara Sauce optional, for serving
Instructions
To Make the Sourdough Breadcrumbs
- To make the sourdough breadcrumbs, use about 6 pieces of sourdough bread, bread ends, or a sourdough baguette. Toast the sourdough on a dry baking sheet for 8-10 minutes in a 350℉ oven until the bread is completely dried out but not burnt. Let it cool, then pulse in a food processor into fine breadcrumbs.
Breading the Cutlets
- Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally. Place between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness. Season both sides of the chicken with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Set up three large shallow bowls. In the first, add the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika, stirring to combine. In the second, add the eggs and the water, and whisk until smooth. In the third, add the sourdough breadcrumbs.
- Dredge each cutlet in flour, shaking off the excecss, then dip it in the egg, then press firmly into the breadcrumbs to coat both sides. Place the breaded chicken cutlets on a piece of clean parchment paper and repeat with all remaining cutlets.
Frying the Chicken Cutlets
- Heat 2 inches of oil in a large, deep skillet to 350℉. Fry cutlets in batches, without crowding the pan, for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer fried cutlets to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and keep in a 350℉ oven while frying the remaining batches, until all cutlets reach an internal temperature of at least 165℉.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges, fresh herbs, and marinara sauce for dipping.
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Notes
- Breadcrumbs: Homemade breadcrumbs are freshest, and sourdough is preferred for taste, but store-bought or panko can be used in a pinch. Be extra gentle if using panko.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are the classic cut to use, chicken thighs or turkey breast can be used too.
- Make It Spicy: Add a few pinches of red pepper flakes to the breadcrumbs for a little added heat.
- Let the breaded cutlets rest on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes before frying so the coating sets and stays put.
- Fry at around 350°F in a high smoke point frying oil like canola or vegetable oil. Oil that is too cool makes the breading greasy, and oil that's too hot will burn the breading before the chicken cooks.
- Fry them in batches, so you don't overcrowd the pan and drop the oil temperature, which is a top cause of soggy breading.
- Press the breadcrumbs firmly onto the chicken for a thick, even crust that really clings to the cutlet.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
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