Easy Parmesan Crusted Chicken

This Easy Parmesan Crusted Chicken recipe is a delicious dish made with chicken breast cutlets, panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese. It’s a quick and easy dinner recipe that you can pull together any night of the week. 

You can make easy restaurant quality Parmesan Crusted Chicken at home with just a few simple ingredients. 

These Parmesan crusted chicken cutlets is a delicious way to prepare chicken. It’s also a great meal prep recipe. I like to cook the cutlets ahead of time, then cut them into strips or chop them into pieces so I can add them to salads during the week.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Recipe

This easy Parmesan Crusted Chicken recipe comes together in about 15 minutes, start to finish.

• Chicken breasts. We use boneless (and skinless) chicken breasts or chicken breast cutlets for this recipe.
• Eggs + Milk. We use an easy mixture made of eggs and milk to dip the cutlets in before coating them with bread crumbs.
• Panko. We dredge the chicken breasts in panko bread crumbs after dipping them in the egg and milk mixture. 
• Olive Oil. The chicken is cooked in a skillet with a little olive oil.
• Seasoning. Season with a little salt and freshly cracked black pepper. You can also sprinkle chopped parsley for a pop of color and fresh flavor.
• Lemons (optional). You can serve these cutlets with lemon wedges for squeezing the juice over the cutlets. 

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

Variations

• Sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning into the panko mix.
• Toss 1-2 cloves grated garlic into the panko mix.

How To Make Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast Cutlets

1. Prep Chicken. Lightly pound the chicken cutlets to flatten.
2. Mix Panko. In a shallow bowl toss together the panko crumbs and grated parmesan cheese.
3. Whisk Eggs. In a shallow bowl whisk together the eggs and milk.
4. Coat Chicken. Dip each chicken cutlet in the egg mixture then in the panko mixture, making sure both sides are evenly coated. Transfer to a plate or platter and lightly press down on the panko to adhere it to the chicken. 
5. Cook Chicken. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Carefully add the chicken. Don’t overcrowd the skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the chicken cutets are golden brown. Using a slotted spatula or spatula, transfer the cooked cutlets to a paper towel lined plate.
6. Season. Lightly season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
7. Garnish (optional). Sprinkle finely chopped parsley over the cooked cutlets.
8. Enjoy. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing the juice over the cutlets (optional).

Tips For Making Panko Parmesan Crusted Chicken

• Butterfly whole chicken breasts (slice in half) and lightly pound them to about 1/4 inch thickness. You’ll want to pound cutlets to about 1/4 inch thickness as well. 
• Pat the chicken cutlets with a paper towel to remove excess moisture that may prevent the bread crumbs from sticking to them.
• Press down on the panko crumbs so they stick to the chicken well.
• Don’t overcrowd the skillet.
• Make sure the heat isn’t too hot or the crust will burn but the chicken won’t be cooked through.
• Don’t move the chicken around in the skillet (you want to have a nice crispy crust). Let it fry for 2-3 minutes on one side before carefully turning the cutlets to the other side. Cook thicker pieces for 3-4 minutes on each side. If you turn the chicken too soon, you may loose some of the panko from the cutlets.

Serving Suggestions

I like to make these Parmesan crusted chicken cutlets and cut them into strips to add  to salads throughout the week. Or I’ll simply serve them whole with a simple romaine salad, arugula salad, cucumber salad or quinoa salad, or I’ll spoon a little marinara sauce over the top with some grated cheese and pop them in the oven for a quick and easy chicken parmesan dish.

Looking For More Easy Dinner Recipes?

• Lemon Chicken Piccata
• BBQ Chicken Wrap
• Filipino Chicken Adobo
• One Pan Italian Chicken
• Chicken Shawarma
• Chicken Continental
• Enchilada Style Baked Chicken
• Easy Chicken Fajita Bake

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Yield: 8 servings

Easy Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

This Easy Parmesan Crusted Chicken recipe is a delicious dish made with chicken cutlets, panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese. It’s a quick and easy dinner recipe that you can pull together any night of the week. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts sliced in half and pounded or 8 thin chicken cutlets.
• 3 large free-range eggs
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lemon, sliced into wedges (optional)

Instructions

1. Toss the panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese on a plate or a shallow baking dish.
2. Whisk together the eggs and milk in a shallow bowl.
3. Lightly pound the chicken cutlets to flatten.
4. Dip the chicken cutlets in the egg mixture then in the panko mixture, making sure both sides are evenly coated. Transfer to a plate or platter and lightly press down on the panko to adhere it to the chicken. Season with freshly cracked black pepper.
5. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Carefully add the chicken.
6. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side for thin cutlets and 3-4 minutes on each side for thicker cutlets, or until the crust is golden brown.
7. Using a slotted spatula, transfer the cooked cutlets to a paper towel lined plate.
8. Lightly season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
9. Garnish with finely chopped parsley. (Optional)
10. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing lemon juice over the cutlets. (Optional)

Notes

Tips For Making Panko Parmesan Crusted Chicken

• Butterfly whole chicken breasts (slice in half) and lightly pound them to about 1/4 inch thickness. You'll want to pound cutlets to about 1/4 inch thickness as well. 
• Pat the chicken cutlets with a paper towel to remove excess moisture that may prevent the bread crumbs from sticking to them.
• Press down on the panko crumbs so they stick to the chicken well.
• Don't overcrowd the skillet.
• Make sure the heat isn't too hot or the crust will burn but the chicken won't be cooked through.
• Don't move the chicken around in the skillet (you want to have a nice crispy crust). Let it fry for 2-3 minutes on one side before carefully turning the cutlets to the other side. Cook thicker pieces for 3-4 minutes on each side. If you turn the chicken too soon, you may loose some of the panko from the cutlets.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 596Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 279mgSodium: 586mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 57g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.