Chicken Milanese Recipe - (2024)

Published September 16, 2019.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Chicken Milanese Recipe is a delicious simple breaded chicken cutlet that is pan-fried to perfection and served up with a light arugula salad and makes for the perfect weeknight meal for your family!

Chicken Milanese Recipe - (1)

Oh, man is this recipe a keeper. It’s easy to make, it’s delicious, and in true fashion, it’s incredibly classic. Making homemade food from scratch is not hard, there are just a few more steps and a few more minutes but in the end, it is beyond worth it!

You know I’ve been on this mission lately to discover the most authentic version of these traditional recipes, and this smokes it and makes for a fantastic weeknight meal for you and your family.

Chicken Milanese

It’s a pounded-out chicken breast that is breaded and fried. Simple as that. You set up a standard breading procedure of flour, egg wash, and seasoned bread crumbs. Dredge the chicken breasts in each and then pan fry until crispy and done in olive oil.

Traditionally it would be served by itself, with pasta, or with a light green’s salad with tomatoes and herbs.

Chicken Milanese Recipe - (2)

What Does Milanese Style Mean

Anything that is alla Milanese means in the style of Milan, which is a city in Northern Italy. You can alla Milanese a steak, veal, or even this Pork Milanese with Spring Kale Salad Recipe that I made back in the day, and of course, can make chicken Milanese.

It’s is simply a breaded piece of protein. Here are a few proteins you can use

  • Steak – using cuts such as thinly sliced flank steak or skirt steak, sirloin, strip loin, beef tenderloin or top round would be best.
  • Pork – a pounded out thinly sliced piece of pork shoulder, pork loin or pork tenderloin are the preferred cuts when making alla Milanese.
  • Veal – a thinly sliced piece of veal scaloppine, which is similar to a beef top round, is used.

All of these items would be breaded and fried and served with side dishes.

Is Milanese Italian

Milanese is definitely Italian and this chicken recipe traces it’s origin back to Milan, Italy. Milanese is also a dialect of the Italian language.

How to Make Chicken Milanese

One thing that I’ve discovered about all these classic recipes is that they are incredibly simple, and this is no different. When these original recipes were created most of the earth was poor, so people made food with what was on hand and tried to figure out how to make it as delicious as possible.

I’m guessing in Milan some local Italians had some leftover crusty bread that they thought could be ground up and used as breading.

Chicken Milanese Recipe - (3)

Pound the chicken breasts until they are about 1/4″ thick. Set them aside.

Set up your standard breading procedure consisting of seasoned flour, seasoned whisked eggs and seasoned bread crumbs.

Dredge the pounded out chicken into each breading procedure completely coating it. Repeat until all have been breaded.

Chicken Milanese Recipe - (4)

Add oil to a large frying pan over medium heat, about 350°.

Cook it in the hot oil for about 4-5 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked throughout.

Make a side salad and serve.

Chicken Milanese Recipe - (5)

Much like this Chicken Cacciatore Recipe, this recipe used what was available and how to hook it up with lots of love.

Different Ways To Cook It

There are really only a few ways to cook this.

  • You can either fry it up in some oil or gently cook it in a small amount of oil and bake it in the oven.
  • Baked Chicken Milanese is great and a super-easy way to use less oil and make sure the chicken is cooked through.

Now, if you’re asking me, I prefer to cook it in olive oil because golly is it so good.

This recipe is a must make. It’s light, it’s delicious and makes for a great easy to make weeknight meal!

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Reheat and Storage

How to Reheat: Add it to a casserole dish and top off with foil. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 375° or until warm.

Storing and Freezing: Store it covered in plastic in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Be sure to keep the salad separate from the chicken. It freezes well, covered individually in plastic for up to 2 months. The salad will not freeze.

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chef notes + tips

  • You can absolutely serve this with other side dishes such as risotto or a polenta recipe

More Chicken Recipes

  • Chicken Piccata
  • Creamy Chicken Dumpling Soup Recipe
  • Chicken Saltimbocca
  • Chicken Parmigiana
  • Best Fried Chicken Recipe
  • Authentic Chicken Curry

Be sure to follow me onFacebook,Youtube,Instagram, andPinterestand if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!

Chicken Milanese Recipe - (8)

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Chicken Milanese Recipe

Chicken Milanese Recipe - (9)

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5 from 8 votes

Chicken Milanese Recipe is a delicious simple breaded chicken cutlet that is pan-fried to perfection and served with a light arugula salad.

Ingredients

For the Arugula Salad:

  • 8 cups baby arugula
  • 1 cup micro greens
  • 1 cup sliced assorted cherry tomatoes
  • ½ peeled and thinly sliced red onion
  • 1 cup shaved parmesan cheese
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

For the Chicken

  • 2 cups flour
  • 6 eggs
  • 4 cups bread crumbs
  • 8 chicken cutlets pounds to ¼” thick
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
  • finely chopped fresh parsley for garnish
  • olive oil for frying

Instructions

  • Salad: In a large bowl toss together the arugula, microgreens, tomatoes, red onions, cheese, salt, and pepper and keep cool until ready to serve.

  • Next, in a medium-size bowl add in the lemon and honey and slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

  • Chicken: In a medium-size baking pan or bowl mix together the flour, salt and pepper and set aside.

  • In a separate second medium-size baking pan or bowl whisk together, the eggs and salt until combined and set aside.

  • In a separate third medium-size baking pan or bowl mix together, the bread crumbs and salt until combined and set aside.

  • Season the pounded out chicken cutlets on all sides with salt and pepper and one by one coat in the flour, then dredge in the egg mixture following up by coating and pressing down into the bread crumbs making sure the chicken cutlet is completely breaded. Repeat until the chicken cutlets are all breaded.

  • Add about ½ cup of olive oil to a large frying pan over medium-low heat and add in the breaded chicken cutlets, 1 to 2 at a time, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on a paper towel until ready to serve.

  • Serve the cooked chicken Milanese with the salad and lemon vinaigrette.

Notes

Chef Notes:

  • You can absolutely serve your chicken Milanese with other side dishes such as risotto or a creamy polenta recipe.
  • You can either fry it up in some oil, or gently cook it in a small amount of oil and bake it in the oven.
  • Baked chicken Milanese is great and a super easy way to use less oil and make sure the chicken is cooked through.
  • How to Reheat: Add the chicken parmigiana to a casserole dish and top off with foil. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 375° or until warm.
  • How to Store: Store the chicken milanese covered in plastic in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Be sure to keep the salad separate from the chicken milanese. Chicken milanese freezes well covered individually in plastic for up to 2 months. The salad will not freeze.

Nutrition

Calories: 522kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 47gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 178mgSodium: 577mgPotassium: 835mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 810IUVitamin C: 10.1mgCalcium: 240mgIron: 2.9mg

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Author: Chef Billy Parisi

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17 comments

    • Barbara Rogers
    • Chicken Milanese Recipe - (10)

    Love to serve this with a sprinkle of fresh lemon juice, a caprese salad and risotto for a delicious warm weather dinner.

    • Reply
      • Chef Billy Parisi

      yummy!

      • Reply
    • Julie
    • Chicken Milanese Recipe - (11)

    We have loved all of your recipes so far, and so many more to try but so far this is my family favorite. It is so easy to make and so delicious! Next time I will make double the salad since my teenagers who never eat salad loved it we had all the salad ingredients from our garden.

    • Reply
    • Bonnie

    One of my faves too!
    I top mine with arugula and pear salad with a sweetened olive oil and cider vinegar dressing. Delish!

    • Reply
    • Carolyn
    • Chicken Milanese Recipe - (12)

    Another winning meal from Billy. The chicken and salad was delicious. I used seasoned Panko bread crumbs. Other than that I stuck to recipe. As recommended I made risotto (for the first time). I was a little intimidated but found it to be easy but time consuming. This meal received rave reviews from the fam.

    • Reply
    • Corrie Cooks

    This recipe is nice but I prefer a few additions which I would like to mention. I added grated parmesan cheese and lemon zest to the breadcrumbs, 1/3 parmesan in 2/3 breadcrumbs. It is also better to season your breadcrumbs by adding chili flakes, black pepper, chili flakes, Herbs de Provence, rosemary and oregano.

    • Reply
    • Chicken Milanese Recipe - (13)

        Great to add those things, but my intention was to keep it as close to the original as possible and those extra things weren’t just lying around.

        • Reply
      • Becky Hardin
      • Chicken Milanese Recipe - (14)

      This looks so delicious!

      • Reply
      • Chicken Milanese Recipe - (15)

          Thanks Becky!

          • Reply
        • Anna
        • Chicken Milanese Recipe - (16)

        We love chicken Milanese! This was absolutely perfect!

        • Reply
        • Chicken Milanese Recipe - (17)

            Thank you so much!

            • Reply
          • Beth Klosterboer
          • Chicken Milanese Recipe - (18)

          This looks amazing! What a great dish to make for any dinner.

          • Reply
          • Chicken Milanese Recipe - (19)

              Thanks Beth!

              • Reply
            • lauren kelly
            • Chicken Milanese Recipe - (20)

            This is one of my all time favorite dishes! Thank you for a delicious recipe!

            • Reply
            • Chicken Milanese Recipe - (21)

                Welcome and thanks for checking it out!

                • Reply
              • Toni
              • Chicken Milanese Recipe - (22)

              I love how flavorful this is!!

              • Reply
              • Chicken Milanese Recipe - (23)

                  Thank you!

                  • Reply
              Chicken Milanese Recipe - (2024)

              FAQs

              What is chicken Milanese made of? ›

              What is Chicken Milanese? If you've never heard of Chicken Milanese before – it's a chicken cutlet that's pounded thin, breaded in Panko bread crumbs, and then fried in olive oil. The result is a super crispy, juicy, and flavorful piece of chicken.

              What is the difference between chicken cutlet and chicken Milanese? ›

              While similar to a regular breaded chicken cutlet, the defining characteristic of a Milanesa is its preparation style and seasoning, often including a coating of breadcrumbs and seasoning with herbs and spices.

              What's the difference between chicken parmesan and chicken Milanese? ›

              Chicken Parm and Chicken Milanese are nearly identical, differentiated only by the presence of sauce and cheese. As Milan and Parma are 1 hour and 45 minutes apart on the autostrada, it makes sense there'd be some crossover in cooking techniques.

              What is the secret to moist chicken? ›

              Brine the chicken: Soaking the chicken in a brine solution (water and salt) for a few hours before baking can help to keep it moist and tender. Add a liquid: Adding a bit of liquid, such as chicken broth, white wine, or even water to the baking dish can help to keep the chicken moist and tender.

              What is the difference between chicken schnitzel and chicken Milanese? ›

              All three consist of breaded and fried chicken but the Milanese usually has parmesan in the mix while schnitzels are traditionally made with veal.

              Why is it called chicken Milanese? ›

              Milanese -- a crusty crumb coating on chicken cutlets -- is one of the simplest Italian preparations and it wows guests every time. The term Milanese, from Milan, originally applied to veal, which has fallen out of popularity and few markets in this country carry now.

              Do I need to brine my chicken? ›

              If you're aiming for perfectly cooked chicken, using a brine is an essential step. Brining tenderizes the meat while distributing flavor deeper and more evenly than a surface seasoning can provide.

              Is Milanese the same as schnitzel? ›

              The primary difference between the Viennese Schnitzel of Austria and the Cotoletta alla Milanese or Veal Milanese of Italy is the cut of meat. Both are traditionally made from calf and the Milanese comes from the loin with the bone-in, while the schnitzel is without bone and comes from the flank or rump.

              Is chicken Milanese the same as chicken piccata? ›

              Chicken Milanese is thinly sliced chicken breast that is breaded and then pan-fried with butter and oil. Chicken Piccata, on the other hand, also starts with a thinly sliced chicken breast but it is lightly dredged with seasoned flour only and then sautéed in the pan.

              What Milanese style means? ›

              Preparing something Milanese (or Milanesa) style means dredging thin slices of meat in flour, eggs, and seasoned breadcrumbs and frying them. A traditional Milanese dish is a bone-in veal chop pounded until very thin, and then breaded and pan-fried.

              What is chicken Milanese called? ›

              A common variation made with chicken is popular in English-speaking countries and bears the name "chicken Milanese" (Italian: pollo alla milanese). Various breaded meat dishes prepared in South America were also inspired by the cotoletta alla milanese and are known as milanesa.

              What to serve with milanesa? ›

              In the northern states of Mexico, the milanesa is served with refried beans, chips, rice and a local salad. Whereas in Paraguay and Uruguay, milanesa a caballo (literally 'milanesa on horseback') is a classic- served with a fried egg on top without the tomato sauce.

              Why do people put mayo on chicken before cooking? ›

              Mayonnaise makes chicken moist and flavorful

              Containing eggs and oil, which are fatty ingredients, mayonnaise helps add a bit of extra fat to the meat, which is mostly cooked off during the process. Moreover, mayonnaise forms a protective barrier that keeps all those tasty juices inside the chicken.

              Why does mayonnaise keep chicken moist? ›

              While it cooks, the chicken will absorb fat from the egg and oil in the mayo, keeping it moist while adding flavor.

              What is the best ingredient to tenderize chicken? ›

              Using a marinade is a good way to achieve soft and tender chicken, with plain yogurt or buttermilk being the most commonly used marinades. The two contain acids and enzymes that combine to break the proteins and fiber in the chicken.

              Is Milanese similar to schnitzel? ›

              The primary difference between the Viennese Schnitzel of Austria and the Cotoletta alla Milanese or Veal Milanese of Italy is the cut of meat. Both are traditionally made from calf and the Milanese comes from the loin with the bone-in, while the schnitzel is without bone and comes from the flank or rump.

              What's the difference between chicken Milanese and chicken piccata? ›

              Chicken Milanese is thinly sliced chicken breast that is breaded and then pan-fried with butter and oil. Chicken Piccata, on the other hand, also starts with a thinly sliced chicken breast but it is lightly dredged with seasoned flour only and then sautéed in the pan.

              What is the difference between Milanese cutlet and schnitzel? ›

              The right name is “ cotoletta alla Milanese” and yes, it's basically a schnitzel with some little variation. A schnitzel is large and thin while cotoletta alla milanese is more little but it's thick. The recipe was introduced in Italy during the Austro-Hungarian occupation. Vienna, Austria.

              What meat is chicken shawarma made of? ›

              Chicken – I like to make Shawarma with boneless, skinless thighs as its juicier than breast. But chicken breast and tenderloin both work great.

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