Italian Chicken Cutlets

Baked or Air Fried

Enjoy these versatile Italian-style cutlets in a variety of ways - on a hearty sandwich, atop a fresh salad, or as the base for classic Chicken Parmesan. With a healthy cooking method and mouthwatering texture, this easy recipe is sure to become a new family favorite.

Say goodbye to the mess (AKA cleaning the grease and grime off everything – uggh!) and extra calories of shallow or deep frying on the stovetop. Instead, these cutlets can be quickly baked in the oven or cooked in the air fryer for a healthier, easier-to-clean option. Both cooking options are included in the recipe card below.

Make in Advance

And the best part? They can be made ahead and frozen for effortless meal prep. With their amazing texture, flavor, and convenience, these Italian style chicken cutlets are sure to become a new family favorite. Let's get started on the recipe!

Ingredients

Chicken – We used boneless skinless chicken breasts and sliced them into cutlets. Cutlets are essentially just chicken breasts that have been sliced in half lengthwise to make them thinner just like we did with out mushroom chicken recipe. Chicken breast cutlets are a more budget friendly option. If you want to save time, you can use pre-cut chicken cutlets.

Plain Panko breadcrumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs) – These make the cutlets extra light and crunchy because they are made from white bread without the crusts and are grated before dried. Regular Italian breadcrumbs are heavier and will not give you the same level of crunchiness. For dietary issues you may want to use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs like we breaded our stuffed zucchini blossoms with.

Eggs – helps hold the breading on the Italian chicken cutlets.

Flour – seals in the juices, helps the egg bind to the chicken which in turn helps the panko breadcrumbs stick. We used all-purpose flour. If you have dietary issues, you can substitute with a gluten-free flour blend.  

Olive Oil – but of course, right!

Italian Seasoning Blend – this is a spice mixture of basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, and thyme. The addition of Italian seasoning and parmesan cheese is what makes this recipe for Italian chicken cutlets different from Japanese chicken or pork tonkatsu.

Garlic – kept it easy with garlic powder or can use freshly minced garlic.

Parsley – nice to garnish with - but not required.

Parmesan Cheese – finely grated – the king of cheese! We use most of the cheese in the panko bread crumb mixture but also use a little in the egg mixture. Double the flavor. If you love the flavor of parmesan cheese but are looking for a low carb recipe, you are going to love our herb crusted beef cutlet recipe.

Preparing the Breading Station

*For the full Italian chicken cutlet recipe instructions, see the recipe card below.

• Toast panko breadcrumbs with olive oil in a pan until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

• Butterfly or slice chicken breast down the center lengthwise to make thin cutlets.

• Pound chicken cutlets with a meat mallet or a heavy skillet to flatten to about ¼ inch thickness.
• Season chicken cutlets

• Mix parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, parsley, and salt and pepper in the toasted panko breadcrumbs.
• Beat eggs and add the rest of the parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Set it aside.

• Place flour on a plate and set up your breading station.

How to Make Italian Chicken Cutlets?

• Dip the seasoned chicken cutlets into the flour and shake lightly to remove excess flour.

• Next, dip the floured chicken piece into the egg mixture to coat both sides.
• Transfer the coated chicken onto the plate of seasoned toasted breadcrumbs. Coat both sides and press lightly to ensure the breading sticks to the chicken.
• Prepare to either air fry or bake.

How to Bake?

• Preheat oven to 400° F (204°C)
• Place Italian chicken cutlets on a lined and lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Then, turn over and continue baking for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the chicken has reached the internal temperature of 165°F (73.9°C).

How to Air Fry?

• Preheat air fryer to 400° F (204°C)
• Place Italian chicken cutlets in the lightly greased air fryer basket and spray with oil. Air fry for 5 minutes. Then flip the chicken over and spray the other side with oil. Continue to air fry for another 5 to 7 minutes (total of 10 - 15 minutes) or until the chicken has reached the internal temperature of 165°F (73.9°C).

Recipe Tips

1. If using previously frozen chicken, make sure it is completely thawed before breading or it will be soggy.
2. Season the chicken cutlets, egg mixture and the panko bread mixture thoroughly for the best tasting breaded chicken.
3. Set up your breading station like the Ford assembly line! First goes the chicken, then the flour, followed by the egg mixture and then the panko bread crumb mixture. Lastly, have your lined baking tray or prepared air fryer basket ready at the end.
4. Use a fork to bread the chicken or use one hand for breading and keep the other hand clean.
5. Shake off the excess flour so that the egg and panko breadcrumbs adhere well to the chicken.
6. After dipping the chicken into the panko breadcrumb mixture, press down firmly on both sides so the breadcrumb mixture adheres to the chicken cutlet.
7. The goal is to pound the chicken to a ½ inch thickness all around the cutlet to make sure it cooks evenly.
8. Don’t overcook the chicken! You do not have to worry about the panko breadcrumbs getting browned or crispy because you already completed this task on the stove top. The goal is to have a moist chicken cutlet with an internal temperature of 165°F (73.9°C). For us, it took 20 minutes in the oven and 12 minutes in the air fryer.

Air Fryer Method: Pros and Cons

After recipe testing, both cooking methods made deliciously crispy Italian chicken cutlets with a tender and moist interior. Side by side, you could not tell the difference in texture or flavor. You will need to decide what cooking option suits your family best.

Pros: quick and easy. Only took 10 minutes to air fry. Super crispy exterior and tender inside.

Cons: To maintain that crispy exterior, you need to spray oil on both sides and flip over in the air fryer basket. We have a Cosori Smart 12-in-1 Air Fryer Toaster Oven.  Therefore, we placed a lined baking tray under the air fry basket to catch the crumbs, but I still made a mess flipping them over. Probably you will not have the same problem but wanted to let you know. In addition, we could only air fry 2 cutlets at a time.

Baking Method: Pros and Cons

Pros: Least messy and easy. No additional oil is required, other than lightly greasing the lined baking sheet. (You can even use parchment paper and avoid all the extra oil – if that option is available to you.) In addition, you can fit more chicken cutlets on a half baking sheet tray than in an air fryer. Super crispy exterior and tender inside, even without a wire rack.

Cons: You need to remember to flip the chicken cutlets over at the 15-minute mark. Air frying is cooler in the summer compared to baking.

What to Serve with Chicken Cutlets?

For a cozy Italian night in, try serving this chicken recipe with a side of risotto, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, or even a homemade Trofie pasta.

Keep it light with a side of summer millet salad, tossed green salad with a white balsamic vinaigrette or grilled vegetables.