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I absolutely adore a good chicken parm, but there are days that my taste buds want something simpler – just the chicken without drowning in a sea of sauce 🥫and a mountain of cheese 🧀 And that is how Chicken Cutlets were born. A perfectly seasoned, expertly breaded chicken that is pan fried to golden crispy perfection and the result is addictive, just trust me.
Why You’ll Love These Panko Chicken Cutlets
When you take a bite of these golden Chicken Cutlets that contrast so well with a juicy and tender center, you will be hooked. The tangy bite of the dijon mustard, subtle sweetness of the honey and the nutty toasted flavor of the parmigiano pair perfectly. When you add the vibrant and refreshing fennel arugula salad, you have the perfect meal for a casual weeknight dinner or a special occasion!
How to Prepare Panko Chicken Cutlets
🥣 In a bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard, salt and olive oil. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes.
🍋 Shave the fennel and add a squeeze of lemon to prevent browning.
🥗 Combine the fennel and arugula in a bowl. Toss with dressing to taste.
🍗 Slice and pound the chicken breast to desired thickness.
🥛 Mix the egg and milk and stain onto a plate.
🧀 Combine the panko, remaining parmigiano, salt and pepper.
🧂 Season flour with salt and pepper.
🥚 Coat chicken in flour, dredge in flour mixture, then coat in panko.
🫒 Heat the pan with olive oil over medium-high heat.
🥘 Fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from pan.
🍽️ Serve the chicken topped with salad, extra parmigiano and black pepper.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can use spinach, baby kale or mixed greens can work as a substitute for arugula.
- If you don’t want to use honey, maple syrup or nectar agave will work.
- In place of the Parmigiano Reggianno, a similar cheese option is Asiago, Pecorino Romano. Additionally, for a dairy-free option they have vegan parmesan.
- If you don’t have olive oil, avacado oil or another type of vegetable oil are fine.
- Like this recipe but want something just a bit different? Try this recipe instead!
Chef’s Tips 🍗
- To make sure your chicken is perfectly crispy, dry the chicken with a hair dryer on cool or you can buy a portable fan.
- My favorite stainless steel pan to use, bar none, is all clad!
Similar Recipes
Common Questions
Make sure to use food wrap to cover the top before you pound it out to minimize the splash damage.
Make sure your chicken is very dry before you dip it. You can use a hair dryer on cold or a portable fan to achieve this. Just drying it really well with paper towels will work too. Also make sure you hold your chicken and tap it to remove the excess flour. Moreover, if you would like and example, you can watch my video here. As a result of these simple tricks you will get the crunchy golden crust that will wow everyone!
Hands down, all clad takes the prize. It is my favorite line to use for pan searing!
Panko Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients
Fennel Salad
- 1-5 oz container arugula
- 1 fennel, shaved
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, + more for shaving over salad
- 1 lemon, large
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
- 1.5 tsp dijon mustard
- salt to taste
Crispy Chicken
- 3 large chicken breasts
- 1/3 c flour
- 1 1/4 cup panko
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
Fennel Arugula Salad
- Add 1/3 cup grated parmigiano to a bowl with the zest of 1 lemon, the juice, honey, dijon, salt and olive oil. Whisk really well. Let it sit for 15-20 min.
- Shave the fennel and squeeze a bit of lemon so it doesn’t turn.
- Add the arugula and fennel to a bowl. Massage dressing in, as much or as little as you want.
Crispy Chicken Cutlets
- Slice the chicken breasts, then pound until desired level of thickness.
- Whisk the egg with milk and strain onto a plate.
- Mix the panko with the remaining 1/3 c parm, add a bit of salt and pepper.
- Add some seasoned salt or salt and pepper to the flour.
- Coat the chicken well on both sides with the flour, dredge with the egg and coat with the panko.
- Preheat a pan on high for 2 min. Add plenty of olive oil and lower to medium high.
- Fry the chicken breasts on medium high until golden on both sides, about 2-3 min per side. Remove from the pan.
- Top with the salad, more parm and black pepper.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My crust always falls off. Do you have any tips?
Sure! Make sure your chicken is very dry before you dip it. You can use a hair dryer on cold or a portable fan. I just added it to my common questions tab and added a video to watch. Let me know how it goes!