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pan fried chicken cutlets — Because sometimes, you just have a hankering for fried chicken cutlets.

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Chicken Cutlets

Chicken breast pounded thin, breaded and fried. Because sometimes it's worth the calories.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Ingredients

3 boneless chicken breasts butterflied and cut in half
½ cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dried parsley
2 large eggs beaten
Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Place a piece of chicken breast inside a gallon sized zip top bag. Squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag and seal.
Using a food mallet or a rolling pin, pound the chicken breast until it is ¼-inch thick. Remove it from the bag and repeat with the remaining chicken breast.
Mix together bread crumbs and seasonings in a large, flat bowl or on a plate.
Dip chicken breast in egg, then coat both sides in bread crumb mixture. Repeat for all pieces.
Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet to ½ inch deep over medium-high heat. (Note: If you have any loose popcorn, toss in a couple of kernels – when they pop, it's the right temperature for frying)
CAREFULLY place breaded chicken into the hot oil. Fry until dark golden brown (about 3-4 minutes) then flip. Cook until the second side is also dark golden brown.
Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Repeat frying steps with remaining chicken breasts.

Notes

Notes: PLEASE be extremely careful with the hot oil. It can splatter when you add or flip the chicken. I use tongs.

DO NOT pour oil down the drain -it will damage your plumbing. Wait until it’s completely cool, and soak up any remaining oil from the pan with paper towels and toss in the trash.

You can make these ahead of time – reheat in a 350 °F oven for about 10 minutes or until hot.

Keyword chicken cutlets, chicken schnitzel, fried chicken

Obligatory Fictional Backstory

This recipe came about by accident. I was in HR-mandated anger management therapy after throwing a malfunctioning printer against the window at work. I was trying to throw it *out* the window, but that darn shatterproof glass is actually shatterproof so it just bounced off. Anyway.

Part of my homework for therapy was to find constructive ways to express my anger. I decided to take out my printer-fueled frustrations by pounding some chicken out for a roulade. By the time I was done pounding, I felt better but also felt like eating comfort food, not fancy restaurant-style food.

So, I grabbed my “holy trinity” of spices and some bread crumbs and got to work. After all, what’s more comforting than fried chicken?

Real Talk

Chicken cutlets hold a lot of nostalgia for me. It’s one of the recipes my mom would make for special occasions like birthdays (the other being italian meatballs). It was the one thing everyone in the family could agree on, even my beef-loving dad.

Now I get to make them for my family! My kids get super excited when I tell them we’re having chicken cutlets for dinner. Plus, my mom still makes them for my birthday, so it’s a win-win situation.

We like them dipped in honey mustard (Ken’s makes one that’s particularly good), served with mashed potatoes and corn. I mean, if you’re going to have fried chicken, might as well make the whole meal a cheat meal, right?

Aldi periodically has a chicken schnitzel in their freezer section for German week and I think it’s pretty similar to this. I’ve never actually had it so please correct me if I’m wrong but it looks similar on the box.

For a slightly less caloric meal, try our recipe for Not-Fried-Chicken – it uses hardly any oil, but still manages to taste delicious!