simple chicken cutlet milanese

Want to know one way to never get bored with chicken? Coat it in breadcrumbs and fry it in an Olympic-sized amount of oil until golden perfection. 

I don't know what it is about a chicken cutlet that makes my skirt fly up, but growing up in an Italian household, I basically lived on them for dinner multiple times per week.

Plus, anyone who knows me knows that I am the chicken finger, chicken cutlet, chicken nugget queen. And the chicken cutlet is basically the more matured, ~grown up~ version of the chicken tender. I mean, not entirely - but basically.

Stop judging me, thanks.

9/10 times if there's chicken milanese on the menu, I'm ordering it. Nothing beats a crispy cutlet topped with lemon juice and paired with a green-y salad. It's hearty enough to feel a little naughty but also, like, not that bad for you. (once we get past the whole frying in inches of oil thing, of course.)

Chicken Milanese is slightly different than just good ol' fashion chicken cutlets, but not by much. The only real difference is lemon juice and parsley, so this is basically a two-in-one recipe.

I'll post another recipe showing the actual frying process, but couldn't this time due to, umm, spilling oil everywhere and having to clean that mess up before snapping any photos. 

Classic cutlets will come, but for now, let's get a little fancy and make it Milanese style!

simple chicken cutlet (milanese)

*makes 3 cutlets

you'll need:

- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pounded thin using a meat tenderizer)

- 2 eggs, whisked

-1/2 Italian breadcrumbs 

- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

- 1 1/2 cups canola oil (peanut or vegetable works too!)

- lemon juice

- salt for seasoning

- fresh parsley for garnish, chopped

how to:

Pound your cutlets thin using a meat tenderizer for even cooking. Whisk your eggs in a bowl combined your breadcrumbs in a deep plate for minimal mess. Using two different textured breadcrumbs is what makes them nice and crispy!

Coat each cutlet in the egg and then into the breadcrumbs, pushing down slightly to stick. 

**No flour is needed for these! It separates the coating from the chicken. ;)

Heat your oil on medium heat. Do not add the chicken until the oil shimmers! 

Fry 3-4 minutes until the edges start to become golden brown. Flip, and fry for an additional 3-4 minutes.'

Transfer to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to soak up the oil. Hit the tops with some salt, vigorously! Squeeze some lemon juice onto each cutlet and top with some freshly chopped parsley.

Pair with spinach or arugula salad and that's it!