Every Italian household has a version of these, and every kid grows up asking for them - breaded chicken cutlets or cotolette di pollo impanate.
Juicy chicken, a crisp golden crust, a squeeze of lemon, done. They are simple enough for a weeknight dinner but special enough to serve on Sunday Dinner with crispy roasted potatoes, peperonata or potatoes and green beans.
The difference between a good cutlet and a great one isn't the chicken — it's the breadcrumbs. And I show you how I make mine with a few simple ingredients using Panko or homemade breadcrumbs - pangrattato.
Table Of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Chicken Cutlets
- Homemade seasoned breadcrumbs. Italian signature homemade seasoned breadcrumbs with garlic, lemon zest, parsley, and parmesan is what makes these chicken cutlets so flavorful.
- Crispy, never oily. One pressing-and-shaking trick (below) is the difference — no soggy, greasy cutlets.
- Three ways to cook - choose yours. Pan-fry, oven-bake, or air-fry the same breaded cutlets according to your schedule.
- Easy to make ahead. Bread the cutlets in advance, then cook them when dinner time arrives.
- A guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Kids devour them, adults go back for seconds, and nobody ever leaves them on the plate.
Ingredients & Notes
See the recipe card below for full ingredient quantities.
- Make the chicken an even thickness. If one end is much thicker than the other, use a meat mallet to flatten it. Even cutlets cook more evenly and are less likely to be dry at the edges and undercooked in the middle.
- Keep homemade breadcrumbs slightly coarse or use Panko. If you're making your own, pulse to a mid-size crumb. That's the secret to the crispiest cutlet.
- Press the crumbs on, then shake off the extra. Press the breadcrumbs firmly onto both sides of the chicken. Then gently shake off any loose crumbs. This helps the coating stay on and turn crisp instead of greasy.
- Don't skip the oil, even in the oven. Dry breadcrumbs won't crisp or brown on their own. A drizzle or spray of olive oil is what turns them golden.
Make Ahead
Breaded chicken cutlets are brilliant for making ahead. You can bread them up to a day in advance and keep them uncooked in the fridge, layered between parchment, ready to cook when you are. You can also freeze them after breading (I like to wrap each cutlet in a plastic wrap). Then cook directly from frozen.
How to Store & Reheat
Cooked chicken cutlets will last 2 days in the fridge in an airtight container. To reheat and bring back the crunch, use a hot oven or the air fryer (a few minutes at 180°C / 350°F) — never the microwave, which turns the crust soft.
Serving Suggestions
A squeeze of lemon, simple green salad or rocket dressed with oil and lemon and a homemade ciabatta roll. That's how they're most often eaten in Italy — clean and unfussy.
I often serve them with with my crispy Parmesan potatoes or Romanesco Broccoli but they're also great with simple sauteed spinach, grilled eggplant steaks, and even these easy and delicious radicchio salad cups.
For a more substantial meal, pair the cutlets with primo that can be soup, pasta or risotto.
Pairings
More classic Italian side dishes you'll love your chicken cutlets with!
Love Italian Food?
Sign up for our weekly newsletter to receive tips, tricks and new recipes delivered straight to your inbox!
Full Recipe
Breaded Chicken Cutlets - Italian Style
Ingredients
- 700 g chicken cutlets , about 1.5 lb, sliced into about 1 cm (⅓ inch) cutlets
For the seasoned breadcrumbs:
- 3 cups homemade breadcrumbs or panko
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese , grated
- 3 sprigs fresh parsley or 2 tablespoon frozen, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove , finely chopped
- 1 lemon , zest only
For the egg coating:
- 2 large eggs (keep a third on hand)
- Salt and pepper , to taste
To cook and serve:
- Extra virgin olive oil (or a mix of olive oil and butter for pan-frying)
- Lemon wedges , for serving (optional)
Instructions
Seasoned breadcrumbs:
- Combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, garlic, and grated lemon zest in a bowl and rub together with your fingers to work in the flavor of garlic and lemon zest into the breadcrumbs.Food Prosessor Tip: if you have a few slices of stale or day-old bread, break them into smaller chunks and pulse them in a food processor along with parsley leaves, garlic clove and grated lemon zest until medium crumb. Them mix with the plain breadcrumbs and add parmesan cheese.
Bread the cutlets:
- Beat the eggs with salt and pepper. Dip each cutlet in the egg and let the excess drip off.
- Lay in the breadcrumbs and flip.
- Press firmly with the palm (closer to the wrist) of your hand to help breadcrumbs stick, then shake off the excess. Repeat with all cutlets.
Cook (choose one):
- Oven: Preheat oven to 390F (200C), fan setting on if you have it. Arrange the breaded cutlets on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle or spray both sides with olive oil. Bake for 15-18 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden and cooked through. Thicker cutlets may need a few more minutes.
- Air fryer: spray both sides with olive oil and air-fry at 190°C (375°F) for 15 min, flipping halfway.
- Pan-fried: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add enough extra-virgin olive oil to lightly coat the base of the pan. For a richer finish, use half olive oil and half butter. Fry until golden on each side. Fry in batches if necessary.
- Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Yes, I salt my chicken cutlets after cooking — this way the salt won't draw the juices out of the chicken. When salting keep in mind that the parmesan and breadcrumbs already bring some salt of their own.
- Serve hot with lemon wedges or a side of your choice.
Notes
- Keep the cutlets even and not too thin. This helps the crust brown before the chicken overcooks.
-
Let excess egg drip off. A thin, even egg coating prevents wet patches that can make the breadcrumbs slide off.
-
Press the crumbs firmly. Use your open palm for even pressure. Shake off the excess.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Three things: let the excess egg drip off before the crumbs, press the crumbs on firmly with your hand, and shake off the loose ones. Pressing embeds the crust so it stays put; overloading with egg or leaving loose crumbs is what makes breading slide off in the pan.
Yes. Bread them up to a day ahead and keep them uncooked in the fridge, layered between parchment so they don't stick. If you need to make them more than a day ahead, you can bread them and freeze, then cook directly from frozen slightly adjust the cooking time.
I always use Extra virgin olive oil or a mix of olive oil and butter. The butter gives a richer color and flavor and keeps it from burning. Make sure the whole pan is coated so the cutlets fry evenly.
Vincent says
Sorry if I missed it - but what temperature for cooking in the oven? Is it 350, like for reheating?
Svitlana says
Hi Vincent! That's my bad, the oven should be preheated to 390F (200C). It's in the recipe card now. Thank you so much for letting me know. Hope you give my chicken cutlets a try!
Rocio Pulcher says
Your attention to detail is great
Italian Recipe Book says
Happy to share everything I know. Glad you found it useful Rocio 🙂