Chicken Milanese is a beloved classic for good reason: It’s a quick and simple preparation that yields crispy breaded cutlets topped with tender greens dressed with a light vinaigrette.
The best part is that this dish is easy enough to make for a weeknight meal, as it can be ready is just 30 minutes.
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Essential Ingredients
Chicken: Look for thin-cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which will save from taking the time to pound regular boneless chicken breasts thin. But if you need to do that, it's not hard. Place one chicken breast between 2 pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken breast to an even ¼-inch thickness.
Greens: Slightly bitter arugula is the standard green for Chicken Milanese, but I like to use a mix of baby arugula, baby spinach, and some pea shoots. Any mix of greens here will work, so use what you like.
Red Onion: Use thin slice of red onion to give the greens a some bite and texture.
Tomatoes: These will add some sweetness and juice to the dish, so look for tiny, sweet grape, teardrop, or cherry varieties.
Vinaigrette: A simple vinaigrette of extra-virgin olive oil, red wine or sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper is all that's needed for the greens. The key is to lightly dress them, not soak them, so add a little at a time and toss just until the greens glisten.
How to make Chicken Milanese
1. Start by setting up your breading station. Beat the eggs with the milk in a wide shallow dish. Combine the breadcrumbs and parmesan in a second dish, and put the flour in a third. Add the garlic powder to the flour and toss to mix. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Arrange the dishes in the order that you will use them (flour, egg, breadcrumbs). Tip, one easy way to remember the order is the first 3 letters in month of FEB.
2. First dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, shaking off the excess. Next, coat with the egg wash, and then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, patting lightly. Transfer to a plate. Tip: Keep your fingers from collecting sticky clumps on the tips by using one hand to dip the chicken in the eggs and the other to dip it in the dry flour and breadcrumbs—brilliant, right?
3. Next, get the greens and dressing ready to go. Toss the greens together in a bowl, and in another large bowl, make the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set both bowls aside while you cook the cutlets.
4. Heat 3 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add two cutlets and cook, flipping once, until golden and crisp on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the baking sheet lined with the paper towel. You could also use a rack instead, but I like the paper towels method as it sops up a little of the oil. Add the remaining oil to the skillet, and repeat with the remaining two cutlets.
5. Add the greens to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Place cutlets on individual serving plates. Top each with mixed greens and more grated parmesan.
For extra crunch, make your own breadcrumbs
Italian cooks generally make their own breadcrumbs from day-old bread. Homemade breadcrumbs aren’t a must for this recipe, but if you have day-old bread and would like to make them, here’s how: Begin with good, coarse-textured white bread. Trim the crusts, tear the bread into small pieces, spread on a baking sheet, and toast in a 350°F oven until the bread is dry but not brown. When cool, toss the bread into a food processor and pulse into medium-fine crumbs. Store in the breadcrumbs in an airtight container for several weeks.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t over crowd the pan, or the cutlets will end up steaming instead of frying. I usually cook 2 at a time, but if you have a small pan, you may only be able to cook one at a time.
- Let the breaded cutlets sit for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before cooking, this will help the breading coating adhere to the chicken.
- If you are making this dish ahead, keep the cutlets warm by placing them on a wire rack set on a sheet pan in a 225°F oven for about an hour. The rack will help keep the cutlets crispy, but don’t let them heat for longer than an hour, as they will begin to dry out.
- If you want to make this salad in the wintertime-and you will- use finely shaved fresh fennel instead of the tomatoes.
Recipe FAQs
Making chicken Milanese-style (or milanesa) simple means that you are dredging the chicken cutlets in egg, flour and breadcrumbs and pan-frying them so they are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The chicken is then topped with lightly dressed greens. It’s a simple method, kind of foolproof, and a quick and easy method that' easy enough for a weeknight meal.
Yes, you absolutely can. The milanese-style breading and frying method works on many foods. In fact, pork and veal milanese are also traditional Italian dishes. But don’t stop there, try it with turkey cutlets and slices of eggplant, too.
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Easy Chicken Milanese
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbs. milk
- 1 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 4 thin-cut boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (about 12 oz.)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- 6 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbs. red wine or sherry vinegar
- ¼ tsp. Dijon mustard
- 4 to 6 cups mixed greens, such as baby arugula, baby spinach, and pea shoots1
- ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Beat the eggs with the milk in a wide shallow dish. Combine the breadcrumbs and parmesan in a second dish, and put the flour in a third. Add the garlic powder to the flour and toss to mix. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
- First dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, shaking off the excess. Next, coat with the egg wash, and then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, patting lightly. Transfer to a plate.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, the vinegar, and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Heat 3 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add two cutlets and cook, flipping once, until golden and crisp on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the baking sheet. Add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil to the skillet, and repeat with the remaining two cutlets.
- Add the greens to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Place cutlets on individual serving plates. Top each with mixed greens and more grated parmesan.
Notes
- Don’t over crowd the pan, or the cutlets will end up steaming instead of frying. I usually cook 2 at a time, but if you have a small pan, you may only be able to cook one at a time.
- Let the breaded cutlets sit for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before cooking, this will help the breading coating adhere to the chicken.
Nutrition
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Tracey says
I made this for some friends and it was a big hit. Thanks. Loved how easy it was to make. Will make this again!