Let's talk about pan fried chicken cutlets-aka the GOAT of easy weeknight dinners. These chicken cutlets start with thinly sliced chicken breasts breaded on both sides, fried in a hot pan with oil until they're golden, leaving a blank canvas for virtually any side dish you could think of.
What I love the most is that these pan fried chicken cutlets are perfect for meal prep and can be made for any occasion. You can throw these cutlets over an easy mixed green salad, chopped into a one pot butternut squash with farfalle, or used for an easy skillet chicken parmesan.
TL; DR Summary - Pan Fried Chicken Cutlets
- 👩🏼🍳 Cook Level: Entry level/beginner
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes.
- 📖 Dietary Info: Gluten, poultry
- 😋 Taste: Crispy, salty, juicy, savory.
- 💖 Why You'll Love: Breaded chicken cutlets are a classic dinner option that goes a long way. Meal prep, freeze, or use in any pasta dish.
- 🍽️ Pairing and Serving Ideas: Serve these crispy cutlets with herbed roasted baby potatoes, garlic rainbow carrots, a deliciously easy baked ziti, and round it out with your favorite cocktail: a homemade espresso martini or a hugo spritz cocktail.
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Jump to:
- TL; DR Summary - Pan Fried Chicken Cutlets
- Trusted Tips and Reminders:
- The Ingredient list
- Chicken Cutlet Cooking Options:
- Simple Swaps and Suggested Substitutions
- How to make pan fried crispy chicken cutlets
- Mistakes I've Made (To avoid)
- Pan Fried Chicken Cutlets FAQs
- Looking for more chicken recipes? Here's some of my favs!:
- Pan Fried Breaded Chicken Cutlets
Trusted Tips and Reminders:
- Use a meat tenderizer to help make the chicken tender. Even if the chicken is already on the thinner side, I always place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken and use a meat tenderizer to make them a little thinner and to loosen the muscle. The purpose of this is to make the chicken as flavorful and less chewy as possible.
- Fry with a cast iron skillet. I always recommend having a cast iron skillet on hand in the kitchen as it provides an evenly distributed heat, and will fry the chicken cutlets evenly.
- Don't be afraid to use enough oil when frying, the more oil you add ahead of time, the less you have to add as you fry. Add just enough oil to rise about ½" up the sides of the skillet or pan so that the chicken cooks evenly on both sides. Plus, any oil you have to add to the pan will take time heating up.
- Look for seasoned Italian breadcrumbs versus plain. It gives more flavor to the breading. If you cannot find seasoned, simply use plain breadcrumbs and add two tablespoons of an Italian seasoning blend, mix together and use.
The Ingredient list
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: You can either buy thinly sliced already, or buy thick chicken breast and filet them yourself.
- Breadcrumbs: If you want to use panko breadcrumbs instead of regular Italian breadcrumbs, this works really well too!
- Eggs: I typically use one egg for every two chicken breasts, so if you were to make six chicken cutlets, use three eggs for the dredge.
- Salt and Pepper: Seasoning the chicken ahead of time gives them even more flavor when they cook.
- Oil: My go to for this is extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil. Both have high smoke points and are neutral in flavor.
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for more information about quantities, measurements, and specific cooking instructions.
Chicken Cutlet Cooking Options:
I know a lot of people prefer not to fry their chicken cutlets, so I wanted to offer a few other ways you can make them:
Baked Method: Spray the bottom of an oven safe dish with oil spray. Bake at 375º for 15-20 minutes.
Air Fry Method: Similar to my air fryer chicken nuggets, add chicken cutlets to the basket of the air fryer. Spray with a touch of olive oil, then fry at 400º for 14-15 minutes, flipping halfway.
Simple Swaps and Suggested Substitutions
- You can easily use boneless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for this too. They'll be extra juicy from the darker meat.
- If you need to use gluten free breadcrumbs, they work great here! You can also use a mixture of breadcrumbs and panko for added crunch.
How to make pan fried crispy chicken cutlets
Step 1: Pat dry the chicken breasts, then thinly slice if they are too thick, then lay on a cutting board with plastic wrap, and use a meat tenderizer to pound the chicken.
Step 2: Once the chicken is tenderized, dip the chicken into whisked eggs, then directly into the breadcrumbs.
Step 3: Repeat the egg-breadcrumb assembly line until all the chicken has been breaded and prepped.
Step 4: Once the chicken has been breaded, heat up a frying pan over medium heat. Dip the chicken into the frying pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until the sides turn golden brown. Lay on a plate lined with a paper towel or a cooling rack.
Mistakes I've Made (To avoid)
- Don't be like me and use extra thick chicken breasts, unless you have ample time to fry them up. The thicker the chicken breast, the longer it will take. I always suggest filleting or buying thinly sliced chicken breasts.
- In many of my trials with making breaded chicken cutlets, I've learned to use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan (and for the oil to come up the sides of the pan) so that there is minimal sputtering.
- Do not use a high heat!! The chicken will burn rather quickly, so be sure to watch the heat (medium is the sweet spot).
Pan Fried Chicken Cutlets FAQs
Place the leftover chicken in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. If you want to freeze them, simply place any remaining chicken cutlets in a plastic food storage bag and add to the freezer for up to 2 months.
A microwave is great if you have minimal time to reheat, however, with a few tests, I find that spending a few extra minutes using the oven to reheat makes a world of a difference.
You can place the chicken directly onto a sheet pan (or you can use parchment paper if desired), and reheat in a 350º oven for approximately 10-12 minutes. It won't be nearly as chewy or "chickeny" tasting as it would using the microwave. Again, nothing wrong with the microwave if that's all you have time for, but the oven is best.
If you don't have one, it's really not a worry. You could invest in one like this Kitchenaid gourmet meat tenderizer I have, or you can buy thin slices of chicken breast from the grocery store and omit the tenderizing part of the recipe.
Looking for more chicken recipes? Here's some of my favs!:
Did you love this recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you're just as in love with this recipe as I am, please share a comment below and rate it! Better yet, share this recipe with family and friends!! Thank you!
Pan Fried Breaded Chicken Cutlets
Equipment
- 1 frying pan
- 1 cutting board
- plastic wrap
- 1 meat tenderizer
- tongs
- plates
- 1 mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2-3 large chicken breasts fileted
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
Tenderizing the Chicken
- Start by fileting each chicken breast to create thinner chicken cutlets. Lay each cutlet down on the cutting board.
- Once all the chicken has been fileted, place a large piece of plastic wrap on top of the cutlets.
- Using a meat hammer or tenderizer, pound the chicken a few times using the sharp, spiky side. This will help loosen up the muscle and the meat itself, resulting in very tender, juicy chicken cutlets.
- Once the chicken has been fully tenderized, season with salt and pepper on both sides.
To Make the Cutlets
- Take a piece of chicken, dip into the egg, and then directly into the breading.
- Coat the chicken with the breadcrumbs until all of the flesh has been covered. Place on a clean plate and repeat this step for all the chicken cutlets.
- To fry the chicken, add the oil to a medium frying pan over a medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot add in a few cutlets at a time, cooking on each side for approximately 3 minutes, or until the sides begin to turn golden brown.
- Flip and repeat for each cutlet.
Notes
- Use a meat tenderizer to help make the chicken tender. Even if the chicken is already on the thinner side, I always place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken and use a meat tenderizer to make them a little thinner and to loosen the muscle. The purpose of this is to make the chicken as flavorful and less chewy as possible.
- Fry with a cast iron skillet. I always recommend having a cast iron skillet on hand in the kitchen as it provides an evenly distributed heat, and will fry the chicken cutlets evenly.
- Don't be afraid to use enough oil when frying, the more oil you add ahead of time, the less you have to add as you fry. Add just enough oil to rise about ½" up the sides of the skillet or pan so that the chicken cooks evenly on both sides. Plus, any oil you have to add to the pan will take time heating up.
- Look for seasoned Italian breadcrumbs versus plain. It gives more flavor to the breading. If you cannot find seasoned, simply use plain breadcrumbs and add two tablespoons of an Italian seasoning blend, mix together and use.
Annabelle says
THese are truly so delicious, i love that they were so much more simpler than I could have imagined. Will make these again!
Jacie says
Please don't judge me because I am a recent college grad and I never knew how to cook chicken cutlets. Your recipe made me feel comfortable doing it for the first time for me and my partner, and it was very delicious. Can I make chicken parmesan with it too?
Morgan Peaceman says
Yay I am so glad to hear you were successful with this! Yes, you can make chicken parmigiana with this. Simply add the chicken cutlets to a large baking dish like a large glass pyrex (can find in most stores like Target, Walmart, or others!) and pour in a jar of marinara sauce. Either slice fresh mozzarella and add to the tops of the chicken, or sprinkle grated cheese. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and slightly golden brown. Hope this helps!!
James says
I've made chicken cutlets maybe once before, but now that I'm a big kid with responsibilities, I need to cook more, and these were actually perfect. So crispy, juicy, and I chopped them and added to pasta with vodka sauce. Clutch!
Morgan Peaceman says
responsibilities suck, but chicken cutlets do not!
Brian Hart Hoffman says
Epic!!!!! Perfection!!!!
Jessica says
So juicy so crispy! My family loved, will definitely be on our weekly rotation!
Stefanie says
I can tell you that these chicken cutlets were perfect. Coming from a very Italian household, we like our cutlets a specific way. The step by step photos are great, and I love how juicy they were. DELISH!!!!!!
Bethany says
Why I have never made chicken cutlets before these I don't know, but this will be my go to recipe for cutlets from now on. Juicy, tender, and so flavorful.
Meredith W says
We rely on very easy recipes in my house, because I hate to cook !!! These chicken cutlets were easy and very flavorful. I will make these over and over again.
Debbie says
Let’s be real chicken breasts can be…. dry, but not these. The title does not lie, these were SO juicy! Such an easy recipe to follow, will definitely be making these again 🙂 !
Abby P. says
I usually hate making chicken cutlets because they always come out dry. This method and the step by step you give in the recipe was so easy to follow. These were the best chicken cutlets I have ever made. I paired with rice based on your recommendation and some steamed carrots, it was delicious!
Erica says
Chicken cutlets are a crowd pleaser in my house. These come out perfect and so yummy!