Description
Pollo alla Milanese aka Chicken Milanese is a family staple. These crispy, fried Italian Chicken Cutlets are so easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or whole butterflied chicken breasts or chicken tenders)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 ¼ cups breadcrumbs (panko, plain or fresh breadcrumbs)
- 2 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano cheese (or parmesan)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Olive oil or vegetable oil, for frying
- Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Season and pound the chicken. Place chicken on a cutting board and season both sides with salt and pepper. If you don’t use pre-sliced chicken breasts, you can butterfly whole chicken breasts or use chicken tenders. You can cut the butterflied chicken in half, if you prefer smaller pieces. Cover the chicken with parchment or wax paper, and pound them to ¼ to ⅓ of an inch thickness, using a meat mallet or the bottom or a heavy pan. I don’t prefer the chicken thinner, because the meat may dry out before the breadcrumbs are browned.
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Bread the chicken. Spread out flour on a plate and season with a pinch of salt. Crack egg into a wide bowl and whisk together with 1 tbsp of water and a pinch of salt. On another plate, combine the breadcrumbs, cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. First, dredge the chicken in flour, shaking off any excess. Then dip this piece in the egg wash, allowing any excess to drip off. Place on the plate with the breadcrumb mixture, and pat crumbs onto both sides of the chicken to coat. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.
- Fry chicken. Add ¼ inch of oil to a large pan. Warm over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan making sure to lay it away from you to avoid splashing the oil. Cook about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through. For the most even browning, grasp the handle of the pan and gently agitate the pan in a clockwise, circular motion. This will cause the chicken move around the pan and for oil to splash on top of the chicken, so there will not be any dark or light patches of breadcrumbs. Cook in batches, as needed.
- Finish and serve. For the best end result, I recommend transferring the cooked chicken to a wire rack over a baking sheet and placing in a low temperature oven until you’re done cooking the remaining batches of chicken. You can also just transfer the cooked chicken to a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess oil. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired. Enjoy.
Notes
If you pound the chicken thinner than I did, you may need more flour, eggs or breadcrumbs due to the increased surface area. A thinner piece of chicken will also cook faster.
Pecorino cheese works well as a substitute.
I have used a variety of oils for this recipe including standard olive oil, extra virgin olive oil and vegetable oil. Use whatever you prefer.
The chicken can be breaded several hours in advance and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to fry them.
This recipe can easily be made in a larger or smaller batch.
Leftover chicken is great for sandwiches or even chicken parmesan.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Fry
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken cutlet
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 45g
- Cholesterol: 170mg
