Parmesan Crusted Chicken

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Your family's new favorite chicken dinner.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Photo: Photographer: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
Active Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
30 mins
Servings:
4

It's no wonder that home cooks are always looking for different ways to serve chicken. Since 1996 chicken has been the most popular meat in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture .

Chicken can be cooked in almost every way imaginable, and we firmly believe there can never be too many crunchy breaded chicken recipes . Similar to schnitzel or Crispy Breaded Pork Cutlets , Parmesan Crusted Chicken consists of thin chicken breasts, coated with a crumb mixture and fried in a skillet until crisp.

If you're craving crunchy chicken and don't want to bother with deep frying, this is the perfect recipe, popular with both kids and adults.

What Is Parmesan Crusted Chicken?

Parmesan Crusted Chicken is a type of breaded chicken cutlet. What makes this recipe different from other breaded chicken cutlet recipes is the use of Italian seasoned breadcrumbs and the addition of Parmesan cheese to the breading.

Pan frying flattened chicken cutlets is a quick and easy way to cook chicken evenly, and breaded fried cutlets are found in many cuisines, including Japanese tonkotsu, Italian Milanese, and South American milanesa. It is also less messy and uses less oil than deep frying.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Ingredients

To make Parmesan Crusted Chicken you will need mostly pantry staple items—Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, dried oregano, black pepper, flour for dredging, eggs, chicken breasts, and oil and butter for frying.

Lemon wedges are recommended for squeezing over the fried cutlets. Lemon adds brightness and freshness to the dish.

How to Make Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Making Parmesan Crusted Chicken requires several steps: The first is to pound chicken breasts. Coating your cutting board or counter with plastic wrap or parchment paper can make for easy clean up. If you don't have a meat mallet, you can use a rolling pin to pound the cutlets.

To bread the cutlets set up a station with a bowl of flour, another bowl with beaten and seasoned egg, and a final bowl with grated Parmesan cheese and Italian breadcrumbs. Cutlets are dipped successively in the flour, then the egg, then crumbs and finally pan fried in a mixture of oil and butter in a non-stick skillet.

Frying in a combination of butter and oil ensures good flavor but is easier than frying in just butter because the oil raises the smoke point so it's less likely to burn.

cooking parmesan crusted chicken
Photographer: Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

What To Serve With Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Crispy chicken cutlets can be served with potato salad, green salad, coleslaw or Italian style—topped with a handful of fresh arugula. You can also serve the cutlets in a sandwich.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

  • Âľ cup pre-grated Parmesan cheese (from 1 [8-oz.] pkg.)

  • 2 tsp. dried oregano

  • 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt

  • 1 tsp. black pepper

  • Âľ cup (about 3 1/4 oz.) all-purpose flour

  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

  • 4 (8-oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded 1/4-in.-thick

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

  • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided

  • Lemon wedges

Directions

  1. Stir together breadcrumbs, Parmesan, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium shallow bowl. Place flour and eggs in 2 separate shallow bowls.

  2. Dredge chicken breasts 1 at a time in flour, shaking off excess; dip in eggs to coat, letting excess drip off. Dredge chicken evenly in breadcrumb mixture. Set chicken on a plate.

  3. Heat 1 tablespoon each of the oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add 2 chicken breasts to skillet; cook, undisturbed, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip chicken, and cook until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate; wipe skillet clean. Repeat process with remaining 1 tablespoon each oil and butter and 2 chicken breasts. Serve with lemon wedges.

Updated by
Alyssa Sybertz
Alyssa Sybertz

Alyssa Sybertz has nearly a decade of experience writing about food, cooking, and cookbooks for print and digital publications, developing recipes, and cooking for her family.

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