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If you follow me, you know I am extremely picky with the chicken that I like. This Chicken Milanese recipe one is one of my favorites to date. If you follow my tips, the crust on your chicken is guaranteed to be so crunchy and brining beforehand is my secret to the juiciest chicken next to that crunch. The fresh Caesar Salad 🥗 is wonderful on top, but it is also great on its own! And if Caesar isn’t your thing, you can also top this Chicken Milanese with my very popular Arugula Fennel Salad and it would be just as great.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Chicken Milanese and Caesar Salad
This Chicken Milanese recipe is so simple and yet so fresh with a tangy lemony Caesar Salad 🥗 (or Arugula) topped with shaved parmigiano reggiano. This will quickly become a family favorite and one you want in your regular weekly rotation!
How To Prepare
Brine the Chicken (in the morning)
Brining the chicken is optional and it does require you to start the prepping in the morning but if you have time it is totally worth it. It really makes the chicken super moist! You boil 2 cups of water with 2 tbsp kosher salt until dissolved. Let it cool. Add the chicken to the cooled salt water in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-12 hours. When ready to start the recipe, rinse and pat dry.
Chicken Milanese
Slice your chicken in half horizontally. Cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper and pound with a meat mallet until at your desired level of thickness. Now you’re going to prep your stations:
Stations 1: Mix the flour with salt, pepper and oregano.
Station 2: Whisk the 2 eggs with milk and then using a strainer, add to a rimmed plate.
Station 3: Panko.
Dredge the chicken well on both sides with the flour, then the egg mixture and lastly, coat with the panko. Let it sit for 15-25 minutes on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath.
Caesar Salad
While waiting, chop the anchovies and garlic together, forming a paste with the back of your knife. Add the egg yolk, dijon, garlic and anchovy paste to a bowl. Mix well. Add in the parm, worcestshire, tabasco and some lemon, not the whole lemon, taste and adjust. Mix well. Slowly add the olive oil and emulsify until smooth. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Back to the Chicken Milanese
Preheat a pan on medium high for 2-3 minutes. Add plenty of olive oil and lower to medium high. Make sure that the oil is hot enough but not too hot so it doesn’t burn. Fry the chicken breasts in batches on medium high until golden on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and let rest on a paper towel while frying the rest.
Mix the salad with the dressing. Top with the salad with shaved parm and black pepper. Add your Chicken Milanese to a plate and top with your Caesar Salad.
🫶 And that is it, subscribe for more!
Substitutions and Variations
- Substitutions
- If Caesar isn’t your thing, you can also top this Chicken Milanese with my very popular Arugula Fennel Salad and it would be just as great.
- To make this a gluten free recipe, make sure you use gluten free panko and flour instead of regular.
- Variations
- Bruschetta Variation: Add diced tomatoes, chiffonade basil, olive oil and flakey salt to a bowl and use it to top your Chicken Milanese
- Caramelized Onion Gravy Variation: If you like your chicken saucy, try topping it with my caramelized onion gravy.
- Pasta Variation: Craving some carbs? You can make this Chicken Malanese alongside Caramelized Onion Pasta.
🔥Chef Nadia’s Tip🔥
- A key to getting the crispiest Chicken Milanese is to coat your chicken in everything and then let it rest on a wire rack for 15 to 25 minutes to give the coating time to really stick.
- Make sure you preheat your pan properly. This is another common mistake that happens and the crispy crust doesn’t stick as well.
- Don’t overcrowd your pan while frying, you may have to do it in batches but it’s worth it.
The Perfect Pairings
🍸 Drink: Cucumbertini – Clean, crisp, slightly sweet, this cocktail will be a light and refreshing pair to this dinner.
🥔 Appetizer and Side: Pan Con Tomate – Truly one of my favorite appetizers EVER. This is very simple, toasted bread with garlic and tomato rubbed on, topped with a little olive oil, manchego and prosciutto. Very easy, delicious and will go great with this Chicken Milanese.
Domino Potatoes – Savory herb roasted potatoes baked in a delicious clarified butter to a caramelized and crunchy perfection. Enough said.
🍨 Dessert: Amaretto Peaches – Warm, sautéed peaches caramelized with brown sugar, orange zest, and a splash of amaretto and rum. This dessert is an amazingly luxurious way to finish your meal.
Chicken Milanese: Questions Answered
Those are cooking tweezers and they’re great, especially for frying!
Cut the chicken in half and the place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper and get to pounding with a meat mallet. You can also opt for buying chicken cutlets if you would like but they may not be thin enough either.
Sure! You need to make sure your panko and flour are both gluten free and you are ready to go.
Once the dressing is on the salad it will get soggy so that isn’t really savable. You can store the Chicken Milanese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat in the oven on a wire rack at 375° till warmed through and re-crispy.
Chicken Milanese & Caesar Salad
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 meat mallet or rolling pin
- 3 rimmed plates or small baking sheets
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
Chicken Milanese
- 2-3 large chicken breasts
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ cup panko
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp milk
Caesar Salad
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 anchovies
- ½ garlic clove
- ¼ cup parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated,+ more for shaving
- ½ lemon, + more for serving
- ¼ tsp Worcestershire
- 1-2 squirts of tabasco
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste, to taste, or seasoned salt, I use Peg's
- 4-6 cups chopped romaine hearts
Instructions
Brining the Chicken (in the morning)
- Brining the chicken is optional and it does require you to start the prepping in the morning but if you have time it is totally worth it. It really makes the chicken super moist! You boil 2 cups of water with 2 tbsp kosher salt until dissolved. Let it cool. Add the chicken to the cooled salt water in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-12 hours. When ready to start the recipe, rinse and pat dry.
Chicken Milanese
- Slice your chicken in half horizontally. Cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper and pound with a meat mallet until at your desired level of thickness. Now you're going to make your dredging stations in small baking sheets or plates:
- Station 1: Mix the flour with salt, pepper and oregano.
- Station 2: Whisk the 2 eggs with milk and then using a strainer.
- Station 3: Panko.
- Dredge your chicken well on both sides with the flour, then the egg mixture and lastly the panko. Let it sit for 15-25 minutes on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath.
Caesar Salad
- While waiting, chop the anchovies and garlic together, forming a paste with the back of your knife.
- Add the egg yolk, dijon, garlic and anchovy paste to a bowl. Mix well. Add in the parm, worcestshire, tabasco and some lemon, not the whole lemon, taste and adjust. Mix well. Slowly add the olive oil and emulsify until smooth. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Back to the Chicken Milanese
- Preheat a pan on medium high for 2-3 minutes. Add plenty of olive oil and lower to medium high.
- Fry the chicken breasts in batches on medium high until golden on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and let rest on a paper towel while frying the rest.
- Mix the salad with the dressing. Top with the salad with shaved parm and black pepper.
- Add your Chicken Milanese to a plate and top with your Caesar Salad and that is it!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
