Chicken Milanese

By
Sharon Hsu
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Sharon Hsu
Sharon Hsu is an enthusiastic recipe and technique developer best known for her expertise in crafting visually appealing cafe and bakery-style treats. She thrives on exploring new concepts in the culinary world, seamlessly blending traditional baking methods with innovative flavors and techniques to create culturally rich creations. She appreciates how food has consistently been at the heart of countless cherished memories and aims to inspire others to bake and cook for their loved ones as an expression of love.
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and
Marianne Williams
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Marianne Williams
Marianne Williams is a recipe tester and developer who has been working in the Dotdash Meredith test kitchens since 2016. Her recipes are featured in Food & Wine, Southern Living, Real Simple, Rachael Ray, Health, Cooking Light, and in various other publications and digital platforms.
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Published on 03/20/24
Tested by
Nicole Hopper
Nicole Hopper, portrait
Tested by Nicole Hopper
Nicole Hopper is a recipe tester and developer located in Birmingham, Alabama.
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A platter with chicken Milanese, served with slices of lemon

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 4

In our increasingly hectic lives, I've noticed my friends often resort to takeout when they're too exhausted to cook after a long day or lack inspiration. The next time I hear someone talk about their to-go order, I plan to respond, ”Can we all agree that we have a lot to thank chicken for?” The unsung hero of versatility and deliciousness, it offers us amazingly easy and quick options like zesty chicken fajita bake, chicken salad, and the star of this meal time: crispy, juicy chicken Milanese. The breadcrumb crust has an umami packed flavor from the parmesan cheese, all pan fried to crunchy, golden perfection in under 30 minutes. 

With such straightforward ingredients, the magic is in the prep work. The method to get the crispiest texture for Milanese-style chicken is double dredging. To repeat offenders, this is the only time double dipping should be allowed! This technique creates a savory shield between the chicken and the frying oil, guaranteeing extra crunch while sealing in all that juicy goodness.

While this dish is perfect as-is, If you’re feeling spicy and want to jazz up the flour and breadcrumbs, feel free to add in your favorite herbs or spices into the flour or bread crumb mixture before dredging.

Squeeze a wedge of lemon over the top for a bright, citrusy flavor. For a balanced meal, serve this with a caramelized zucchini pasta or fresh arugula salad with lemon dressing to contrast the richness of the chicken. If you love decadence, pairing this with creamy pasta is a great fit.

Recipe Tips

  • Double up on the dredge—A double dredge ensures a super nice crust with tons of crispy texture. 
  • Add butter at the end—Frying in oil and adding butter at the end allows gives you all the crispness you could hope for without burning the butter. The butter will brown, but that’s what we want here.
  • Substitute for cutlets—If you can’t find cutlets, butterfly and halve boneless skinless chicken breasts and pound them thin.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (60 grams) all-purpose flour

  • 3/4 teaspoon fine salt, divided

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 tablespoon water

  • 1 1/4 cups (177 grams) plain dried breadcrumbs

  • 1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 4 (4- to 5-ounce) chicken cutlets (1/4-inch thick)

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

  • Lemon wedges, for serving

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make chicken Milanese

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

  2. Whisk together 1/2 cup (60 grams) all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt in a shallow dish.

    A small bowl with flour and salt being whisked together

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

  3. Crack 2 large eggs into another shallow dish and add 1 tablespoon water. Lightly beat with a fork.

    A bowl of eggs and water being scrambled together with a fork

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

  4. Whisk together 1 1/4 cups (177 grams) plain dried breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt in a third shallow dish.

    A large bowl of breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt, and pepper being whisked together

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

  5. Working with 1 chicken cutlet at a time, dip into flour, tapping to remove excess, then dip into eggs and turn to fully coat; let excess drip off. Transfer cutlet to breadcrumb mixture and turn to coat, pressing to adhere. Add cutlet back to egg mixture followed by breadcrumb mixture. Transfer to a large plate.

    A bowl of seasoned flour, a bowl of egg, and a bowl of seasoned breadcrumbs with chicken cutlets

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

  6. Set a wire rack inside a baking sheet, and place next to the stove. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cutlets and cook until golden brown and crispy on the first side, 2 to 3 minutes.

    A skillet with two breaded chicken cutlets

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

  7. Flip the cutlets and add 1 tablespoon unsalted butter to the pan. Continue to cook over medium heat, swirling the pan often to redistribute the butter, until the cutlets are golden brown on the second side and the thickest portion of chicken registers 155 F, about 2 more minutes. Remove the cutlets to the wire rack and season with 1/8 teaspoon fine salt. Wipe the skillet clean and repeat the process with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 chicken cutlets, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, and 1/8 teaspoon fine salt.

    A baking sheet with a wire rack, with two golden brown chicken cutlets topped with salt

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

  8. Divide the cutlets among plates and serve with lemon wedges.

    A platter with chicken Milanese, served with slices of lemon

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

How To Store

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350 F oven or air fryer to refresh the crispy coating.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Use a different protein—Another very popular style of Milanese is with pounded veal. Japanese tonkotsu is very similar and made with pounded pork.
  • Make it chicken parm—You could take this an extra decadent route and spoon over delicious marinara sauce and then mozzarella. Heat that under the broiler and serve with pasta for a chicken parm situation. 
  • Dress up leftovers—Leftovers are delicious in a sandwich (Mexican torta de milanesa is a classic!).
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
560 Calories
28g Fat
41g Carbs
34g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 560
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g 36%
Saturated Fat 9g 43%
Cholesterol 193mg 64%
Sodium 789mg 34%
Total Carbohydrate 41g 15%
Dietary Fiber 3g 9%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 34g
Vitamin C 8mg 38%
Calcium 177mg 14%
Iron 4mg 21%
Potassium 348mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)