How to Cook Chicken Cutlets on the Stove

How to Cook Chicken Cutlets on the Stove is a simple cooking technique everyone should know! It’s an easy chicken recipe you’ll make over and over!

Cooking thin chicken breasts that have been coated in breadcrumbs and fried to golden brown perfection is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

Every country has its own version of this recipe!

• Italy = Chicken Cutlets
• Germany = Chicken Schnitzel
• Japan = Chicken Katsu

How to Cook Chicken Cutlets on the Stove

Gather your simple ingredients:

You’ll need some chicken. Either boneless chicken breast, skinless chicken breasts, thin-sliced, chicken tenders, etc. All of them work!

If your chicken pieces are uneven, pound until thin and an even thickness. Thin chicken cutlets cook the best, and there is nothing better than an ultra crispy cutlet with marinara sauce!

Next, you’ll need panko breadcrumbs, Italian breadcrumbs, or bread crumbs.

Then grab some flour, and seasonings such as kosher salt, Italian seasoning, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.

You’ll need flour, vegetable oil, olive oil, or canola oil.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission when you shop through my links. This commission is at no cost to you, making this a win-win-win in Michael Scott’s book!

Now, gather your kitchen supplies:

• Paper towels – to catch any grease
• Large Skillet or Frying Pan, I prefer a cast iron skillet. The bottom of the cast iron pan holds heat super well, giving your juicy chicken every time!
• Tongs
• Shallow Bowl for dredging
• Meat Mallet
• Cutting Board – I prefer a plastic one that I can wash and sanitize really well, as opposed to a wooden board that can harbor bacteria.
• Food Thermometer or meat thermometer

Let’s get frying up some chicken cutlets!

Pound your chicken out as think as you’d like. Start with the thickest part of the chicken, and make it even with the thin side. You can definitely buy the thin-sliced chicken breasts, but sometimes those need to be pounded on the thicker side to even out. I like to put my chicken between pieces of plastic wrap, so the raw chicken isn’t flying all around my kitchen!

Set up your dredging station with this order:

• Flour – season it with salt and pepper!
• Eggs – season them with salt and pepper! Your egg mixture will stick better to the chicken with the flour first!
• Breadcrumbs – that you’ve seasoned with whatever you want. For Italian chicken cutlets, use Italian Breadcrumbs!

If you wanted to make chicken parmesan, add some fresh parmesan cheese to your breadcrumbs mixture! About half and half ratio.

Dip your chicken cuts into the flour, and coat each side with a light dusting.

Then, dip into the eggs, and into the breadcrumb mixture.

Lay the breaded chicken cutlets out on a plate or wire rack while you heat up your oil.

Frying Chicken Cutlets

On the stove top, place a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil to allow the chicken to cook, but not deep fry. About half an inch.

I would like to chat about why we are not using extra virgin olive oil to fry in. You want a high-heat oil that has a high smoke point. Extra-virgin olive oil is filled with flavor — those are often burned when the oil gets too hot. Best to leave that oil for finishing your dishes!

Now that your oil is hot — you want it to reach about 350 degrees f — you’ll carefully lay out a couple of chicken cutlets in your pan. When you place chicken breasts into the hot oil, be careful! I like to lay them away from me so nothing splatters up on me!

Cook your chicken cutlet on the first side, until the edges begin to brown. You want a nice even medium heat, so if it seems like the oil is getting too hot, turn the stove down a smidge.

This is not deep frying. These pan-fried chicken cutlets use the “shallow fry” method. Enough oil to fry one side at a time!

Using tongs and a spatula for leverage, flip your chicken over. Make sure you’re cooking your chicken in a single layer! This means you might need to cook your chicken cutlets in batches. Cook until an internal temperature of 165˚ is reached!

Remove from the hot oil and place on a paper towel to the side.

Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving!

The best way to serve these chicken cutlets is with a tomato mozzarella salad! Crispy Crackle Chicken is a weekly meal for me! And the bright acidic salad is the light side dish you need for the crispy chicken cutlet!

If you want to, spritz some lemon wedges on top of each cutlet.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.

This pan-fried chicken breast recipe works in so many different variations!

The next day, just pop leftover cutlets into an oven-safe dish and reheat at 350˚ for 8 minutes. It’s an easy way. to get that same crispy texture as when you first fried them!

Thin cutlets make a great weeknight dinner! Serve with one of your favorite salads and dinner is complete!

Other Recipes to Try

Chicken Parmesan for Two is one of my go-to meals when serving someone else.

Print