Chicken Milanese

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This classic Milan-inspired dish features tender breaded chicken cutlets, fried until golden-brown and topped with a zesty and colorful arugula salad. It’s a welcome, satisfying dish at any time of year.

Prep Time30

Cook Time35

Total Time1 5

Course: Dinner, Entree, Entree/Poultry

Cuisine: Italian, Italian/Mediterranean

Servings:

Author: Domenica Marchetti

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, each weighing about 6 ounces (or 1 1/2 pounds prepared chicken cutlets)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 to 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups unseasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons sunflower oil, plus more as needed

For the salad:

6 cups baby arugula
1/2 lemon, juiced
Salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to garnish

Instructions

Prepare the cutlets. Place one of the chicken breasts on a large cutting board and slice partway through it horizontally with a sharp knife. Lift the top of the breast as you go and keep slicing, but don’t slice all the way through. Leaving the top and bottom halves attached, open the breast up like a heart-shaped book and pat it down to flatten it out a bit. Cut the remaining breasts the same way for a total of four large cutlets. For smaller cutlets, which can be easier to work with, slice each breast in half horizontally to yield 8 smaller cutlets total. Place each cutlet between two sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap and pound it gently with a meat mallet just enough to even out its thickness. Season both sides of the cutlets with salt and pepper.
Set up your dredging station. You’ll need three shallow bowls or pie plates. Place about 3/4 cup flour in the first bowl. Crack 2 eggs into the second and whisk them lightly. Have a third egg on hand in case you need to replenish. Place the 1 1/4 cups breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese, and 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning into the third bowl and toss with a fork to combine. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment for holding the breaded cutlets.
Dredge the cutlets. Working with one cutlet at a time, dip it first in flour, taking care to coat it on all sides. Shake off the excess flour and then place the cutlet in the bowl of beaten eggs. Use a fork to pierce it and turn it over, so that it is completely coated. Lift the cutlet out, letting any excess egg drip back into the bowl. Place the cutlet in the breadcrumbs and coat it on both sides, pressing the breadcrumbs gently to make sure they stick. Set the breaded cutlet on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cutlets. Let them sit while you heat the oil.
Fry the cutlets. Heat the oven to 200°F and slide in an oven-proof platter large enough to hold all the fried cutlets. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and set it near the stovetop. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil into a heavy-bottomed skillet and set it over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, lay two or three cutlets in the pan—as many as will fit comfortably without crowding. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until browned on the bottom, then carefully turn them over with tongs and brown the other side, another 3 to 4 minutes. The cutlets should be golden and not too dark. If they are browning too quickly, turn down the heat. Once browned, transfer the cutlets to the wire rack to drain briefly; then transfer them to the platter in the oven. Repeat with the remaining cutlets, adding 1 or 2 tablespoons more olive or sunflower oil between batches if needed.
Make the arugula salad. Place the arugula in a bowl. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the leaves and season with a generous pinch of salt. Drizzle in olive oil, and toss gently to coat the leaves. Have the quartered cherry tomatoes and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano at the ready.
Plate and serve. Remove the platter of cutlets from the oven. To serve the chicken Milanese family-style, mound the arugula salad along the center of the platter. Scatter the cherry tomatoes and Parmigiano shavings on top and serve. To serve individually, place a cutlet on each plate. Divide the arugula salad among the plates, mounding it on top of the cutlets. Top each with some of the quartered cherry tomatoes and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Serve.

Notes

Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil used in this recipe.
To make four restaurant-style plate-sized cutlets, instead of 8 smaller ones, don’t slice all the way through the breast; lift the top as you go to separate it from the bottom and continue to slice just until you are able to open the piece in two, like a book. You should end up with a large, heart-shaped cutlet. Pound it out as instructed.

Nutrition

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