Chicken Milanese Recipe

This Chicken Milanese Recipe is a delicious seasoned breaded chicken cutlet that is perfectly pan-fried and served with a light seasonal salad. We absolutely love eating this throughout the spring and summer.

Making the same chicken dishes repeatedly can be bland for you and your family. Break out of your regular routine by making my delicious Arroz con Pollo or Butter Chicken.

Chicken Milanese

Chicken Milanese is a chicken breast that has been flattened with a mallet, breaded, and fried until golden brown. Alla Milanese is Italian for “in the style of Milan” and references meat that is dipped in egg and then coated in breadcrumbs and fried. Milanese is also a dialect of the Italian language.

Traditionally, this would be served by itself, with pasta, or with a light green salad with tomatoes and herbs, and a squeeze of lemon or vinegar. More classically pork, steak, or veal would be used as the protein. However, using chicken has become more popularized in the last century.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Chicken — For this recipe, you will need boneless, skinless chicken breasts. However, you could also use boneless, skinless thigh or drum meat if that is all that’s available.
• Flour – all-purpose flour is what you’ll need for the breading procedure.
• Eggs – Large eggs that are chilled or at room temperature will work.
• Breadcrumbs – You can use breadcrumbs or panko crumbs.
• Oil — Olive oil or avocado oil works best for this. You could also use ghee or clarified butter when frying.
• Butter — I always use unsalted butter in my cooking and baking to control the sodium content.
• Seasonings – Coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper are used to season this dish.
• Salad — This part is subjective. To emphasize, I used arugula, kale, cucumbers, radishes, peas, asparagus, microgreens, and Parmigiana Reggiano. You can just use the greens, or feel free to get creative.
• Salad Dressing – I use only lemon juice, honey, and olive oil. For a more decadent version. feel free to use my Lemon Vinaigrette dressing

How to Make Chicken Milanese

1. Place the chicken breasts in between two large pieces of plastic wrap and, using a mallet, pound it out until it is about 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick.
2. Set up your standard breading procedure consisting of seasoned flour, seasoned whisked eggs, and seasoned bread crumbs.
3. Dredge the pounded chicken into each breading procedure, thoroughly coating it. In a similar fashion, repeat the process until all the chicken has been breaded, and keep them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
   
4. Add oil to a large frying pan over medium heat, about 350°.
5. Cook the chicken in the hot oil for about 4-5 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked throughout.
6. Make a side salad and serve.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: This chicken Milanese is meant to be eaten as soon as it’s done cooking.

How to Store: Store it covered in plastic in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  Be sure to keep the salad separate from the chicken.  It freezes well, covered individually in plastic for up to 2 months.  The salad will not freeze.

How to Reheat: Add the desired number of chicken cutlets to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until hot.

chef notes + tips

• You can absolutely serve the cutlets with other side dishes such as risotto or a polenta recipe
• Bake the chicken on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper at 375° for 30 minutes, flipping it halfway through the cooking process.
• Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs that are crisp and large.
• Additionally, once breaded, they can sit for up to 30 minutes before frying.
• This recipe will easily cut in half. 
• The number one reason breading falls off is due to the oil not being hot enough.
• If the oil starts to get too dark from the breadcrumbs, then you’ll need to discard it and add fresh. 

More Chicken Recipes

• Chicken Piccata
• Chicken Saltimbocca
• Chicken Parmigiana 
• Best Fried Chicken Recipe
• Authentic Chicken Curry

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Chicken Milanese Recipe

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5 from 11 votes

This Chicken Milanese Recipe is a seasoned breaded chicken cutlet that is perfectly pan-fried and served with a light seasonal salad.

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

For the Chicken

• 8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs
• 4 cups breadcrumbs
• coarse salt and pepper to taste
• optional finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish
• oil for frying

For the Salad:

• 8 cups baby arugula
• 1 cup micro greens,, optional
• 1 cup sliced assorted cherry tomatoes
• ½ peeled and thinly sliced red onion
• 1 cup shaved parmesan cheese
• juice of 1 lemon,, about 2 to 3 tablespoons
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• coarse salt and cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

• Place the chicken breasts in between two large pieces of plastic wrap, and using a mallet pound them out until it is about 1/4" to 1/2" thick.
• In a medium-sized baking pan or shallow bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and pepper and set aside.
• In a separate second medium-sized baking pan or shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and salt until combined and set aside.
• In a separate third medium-sized baking pan or shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, salt, and pepper until combined. Set it aside.
• Season the chicken cutlets on all sides with salt and pepper.
• One at a time, dredge the chicken cutlets in the flour, then coat them in the egg mixture. Then coat them and press them down into the bread crumbs, ensuring the chicken cutlet is completely breaded. Repeat until the chicken cutlets are all breaded. You can place them on a platter or a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
• Add about ½ cup of oil to a large frying pan over medium heat and heat it until it reaches 350°. If you do not have a thermometer, sprinkle in some breadcrumbs, and if they fry but do not burn you're good.
• Add in the breaded chicken cutlets, 1 to 2 at a time, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on a paper towel until ready to serve.
• Salad: In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, microgreens, tomatoes, red onions, cheese, salt, and pepper, and keep it cool until ready to serve.
• Next, in a medium-size bowl add in the lemon and honey and slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to whisk until emulsified. Season the salad with salt and pepper and briefly set it aside.
• Serve the cooked chicken Milanese with the salad on top and drizzle on the lemon vinaigrette.

Notes

Make-Ahead: This chicken Milanese is meant to be eaten as soon as it’s done cooking.

How to Store: Store it covered in plastic in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  Be sure to keep the salad separate from the chicken.  It freezes well, covered individually in plastic for up to 2 months.  The salad will not freeze.

How to Reheat: Add the desired number of chicken cutlets to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until hot.

You can absolutely serve the cutlets with other side dishes such as risotto or a polenta recipe

Bake the chicken on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper at 375° for 30 minutes, flipping it halfway through the cooking process.

Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs that are crisp and large.

Additionally, once breaded, they can sit for up to 30 minutes before frying.

This recipe will easily cut in half. 

The number one reason breading falls off is due to the oil not being hot enough.

If the oil starts to get too dark from the breadcrumbs, then you’ll need to discard it and add fresh. 

Nutrition

Calories: 522kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 47gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 178mgSodium: 577mgPotassium: 835mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 810IUVitamin C: 10.1mgCalcium: 240mgIron: 2.9mg

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Author: Chef Billy Parisi