Description
The cheesiest, easiest Crispy Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts! Chicken cutlets are breaded with a simple panko-parmesan crust & pan-fried until perfectly juicy with a gloriously crispy & golden brown crust. Serve ’em on their own, or add them to your favorite salads, pasta dishes, & more. Perfect for weeknight dinners & easy entertaining!
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (roughly 2 pounds – see Recipe Notes)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, lightly whisked
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
- heaping 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1/3 cup olive oil, divided
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: Cover a chicken breast with a piece of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet (or rolling pin) to pound it out to uniform thickness, about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside & repeat with the remaining 3 chicken breasts. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper if desired. Set aside.
- Prepare the dredging station: Grab 3 large plates or shallow bowls. Place the all-purpose flour on one, whisk the eggs on the second, and mix the panko breadcrumbs, seasoned Italian breadcrumbs & grated parmesan on the third. Lightly season each plate with kosher salt and ground black pepper and mix to combine.
- Bread the chicken: Working one by one, give each chicken breast a light dusting of flour (shaking off any excess), followed by a light coating of egg (shaking off any excess). Place the chicken into the panko parmesan mixture, pressing to adhere & coat the chicken as completely as possible. Shake off any excess breading and set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
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- Cook the parmesan crusted chicken: Add 3-4 tablespoons of the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, give the skillet a swirl to ensure its entire surface is coated in oil. Working 2 chicken breasts at a time, carefully add the parmesan crusted chicken to the skillet. Be careful to avoid overcrowding the pan as it prevents browning. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, until the panko parmesan coating is crispy & golden brown & the chicken is cooked throughout. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet, as needed, & repeat with the remaining 2 chicken breasts.
- Serve immediately. Crispy parmesan chicken is great served with a simple salad or with a Caesar salad, over a simple pasta dish or alongside risotto – pretty much everything! Enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
- Chicken breasts: It is very important to pound the chicken breasts into 1/4-inch thick cutlets, otherwise the breading will brown before the chicken is completely cooked through. If your chicken breasts are on the smaller side, pounding out to 1/4-inch thickness shouldn’t be too much of a problem! If your chicken breasts are larger, it will be helpful to butterfly them before pounding them out. To butterfly, carefully slice the chicken breasts open lengthwise. In this case, you’ll likely only need 2 large chicken breasts to yield 4 nice cutlets.
- Serving a crowd: If you’re prepping a larger batch of crispy parmesan chicken to serve to a crowd, it’s helpful to keep the chicken warm once it’s cooked to ensure everything is warm when you serve dinner. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy clean up. Place cooked crispy parmesan chicken on the baking sheet after Step 4 & keep warm in the oven until serving.
- Storage & reheating: Crispy parmesan chicken is best served fresh, though leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The best way to reheat is to toast them in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the parmesan crusted chicken on a baking sheet and bake for 3-4 minutes per side, until toasty & warmed through.
- 10-Minute Meal Prep: While this crispy parmesan chicken is a quick recipe, you can eliminate nearly all of the active prep time involved by prepping the chicken ahead of time. To prep, pound out the chicken according to Step 1. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. At dinnertime, all you have to do is dredge & cook – easy!