Crisp Breaded Chicken Cutlets with Parmesan (Chicken Milanese)

SERVES Serves 4

TIME 50 minutes

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

For crisp, moist fried chicken, we start by pounding chicken breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness to ensure even cooking. Seasoning the chicken, instead of the breading, guarantees that the meat will be well seasoned. Homemade bread crumbs are easy to make and give a light, crisp texture. Adding Parmesan to the bread crumbs adds a signature Italian flavor to the cutlets. Using a standard breading procedure (dipping in flour, beaten egg, and bread crumbs) ensures that the breading will stay in place. Shallow-frying cutlets, two at a time, ensures even cooking without creating too much steam that would otherwise leave the bread crumbs soggy. Gently pressing the cutlets with a spatula ensures that they will lie flat while they fry. Finally, resting the cutlets on a paper towel–lined wire rack for about 15 seconds per side removes grease. Moving the cutlets to the unlined side of the wire rack kept the coating crisp while we finished the next batch. For crisp, moist fried chicken, we start by pounding chicken breasts to an even ½-inch thickness to ensure even cooking. Seasoning the chicken, instead of the breading, guarantees that the meat will be well seasoned. Homemade bread crumbs are easy to make and give a light, crisp texture. Adding Parmesan to the bread crumbs adds a signature Italian flavor to the cutlets. Using a standard breading procedure (dipping in flour, beaten egg, and bread crumbs) ensures that the breading will stay in place. Shallow-frying cutlets, two at a time, ensures even cooking without creating too much steam that would otherwise leave the bread crumbs soggy. Gently pressing the cutlets with a spatula ensures that they will lie flat while they fry. Finally, resting the cutlets on a paper towel-lined wire rack for about 15 seconds per side removes grease. Moving the cutlets to the unlined side of the wire rack kept the coating crisp while we finished the next batch.

INGREDIENTS

4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed, trimmed

Salt and pepper

4 to 6 slices hearty white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into 1 ½-inch pieces

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¾ cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

¾ cup vegetable oil

Lemon wedges

note: BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Make sure to remove the tenderloin from each breast so the cutlets will be a uniform shape and will cook evenly; reserve tenderloins for another use. Don’t substitute store-bought bread crumbs for the fresh bread crumbs.

Directions at cooksillustrated.com

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