Super quick breaded chicken cutlets fried in a lemon butter sauce. These crispy cutlets are made without any egg or flour making them so quick and easy to whip up and leaves less washing up, hooray!
Because we all love recipes made easier.....
Breaded chicken cutlets are so easy to make and are sure to please the whole family at dinner time. Making chicken cutlets with breadcrumbs, flour and egg is a classic method it's what we use for our Italian Chicken Cutlets with Pesto and Spinach Recipe (so delicious).
But this method is much quicker and easier plus the chicken cutlets turn out so light, crispy and delicious!
My mother in law told me about this way of breading chicken (it's an old Italian method) and let me tell you it's so simple, you'll wonder why you didn't try it before.
Jump to:
Ingredients - what you need
There are only two ingredients to make these breaded chicken cutlets, yesss only two and what are they?
- Breadcrumbs
- Chicken
Whaaat, there's no secret ingredient? No, there's nothing fancy going on here, we're just leaving out some ingredients we don't need.
So how do the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken?
I asked this too when I first heard about it but they actually stick really well without any flour or egg. After you have bashed out your chicken to form thin cutlets simply press each side 2-3 times in the breadcrumbs until the cutlet is coated.
It will be a much lighter coating than if you used flour and egg which results in a lovely crispy outside, juicy chicken inside and no floppy, soggy crumbs falling off either.
How to make Breaded Chicken Cutlets - step by step
First, you need to bash your chicken breasts out thin or buy pre-cut chicken cutlets from the supermarket for ease if they're available.
To bash the chicken, place one breast in between two pieces of cling film and beat it with a meat mallet or rolling pin until thin (around ¼ inch thick) (photo 1).
Add the breadcrumbs to a large plate and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Press each side of the chicken into the breadcrumbs firmly 2-3 times, repeat with all the cutlets (photos 2 & 3).
Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large frying pan and when hot add the chicken cutlets. Once crispy and golden on one side turn them over and squeeze over lemon juice then add a knob of butter (photos 3-6).
Continue to fry the cutlets until crispy and golden on both sides, remove and sit on kitchen paper or a draining rack for a couple of seconds.
Serve hot with salad or your favourite sides. Find some recommendations below.
Top tips and recipe FAQs
- Drain the chicken on kitchen paper - after frying make sure to drain the cutlets on paper towels so they soak up any excess oil.
- What to do with leftovers - leftovers can be eaten cold or reheated in a hot oven or in a skillet until hot. Use them up in salads or sandwiches, they're delicious on a focaccia with grilled veggies and pesto!
I use olive oil for frying and it's what I recommend using. Sunflower oil is another good option.
Yes, you can bread the chicken in advance and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to fry them.
Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days although they will lose their crispy texture the longer they are left.
Yes, the cutlets and be frozen and reheated from frozen. Lay them on a baking tray, pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F) and bake for 15-20 minutes until piping hot all the way through.
What to serve Breaded Chicken Cutlets with
These cutlets are absolutely delicious served with Italian roasted potatoes, Fagioli all'uccelletto (beans in tomato sauce) or Peas and Pancetta. See more delicious side options below...
- Zucchini ribbon salad
- Roasted asparagus with gorgonzola
- Fennel courgette salad with smoked scamorza and chilli
- Summer easy bean salad
- White bean mash with rosemary and lemon
How easy is this recipe? I mean I'm totally converted to breading my chicken like this all the time. Who needs extra washing up anyway? I know I certainly don't and I honestly love using this method. The chicken is lighter, crispier and just as delicious as ever!
If you've tried these Breaded Chicken Cutlets (flour and egg-free) or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I'm getting up to.
📖 Full Recipe
Breaded Chicken Cutlets With Lemon Butter
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 1 cup (140g) fine breadcrumbs ,such as panko
- olive oil for frying
- 1 knob butter
- 1 squeeze of lemon juice
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- First, you need to bash your chicken breasts out thin or use pre-cut chicken cutlets from the supermarket for ease if they're available.
- To bash the chicken, place one breast in between two pieces of cling film and beat it with a meat mallet or rolling pin until thin (around ¼inch thick)
- Add the breadcrumbs to a large plate and season with a good pinch f salt and pepper. Press each side of the chicken into the breadcrumbs firmly 2-3 times, repeat with all the cutlets.
- Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large frying pan and when hot add the chicken cutlets. Once crispy and golden on one side turn them over and squeeze over lemon juice then add a knob of butter.
- Continue to fry the cutlets until crispy and golden on both sides, remove and sit on kitchen paper or a draining rack for a couple seconds. Sprinkle with an extra pinch of salt.
- Serve hot with salad or your favourite sides.
Notes
- Drain the chicken on kitchen paper - after frying make sure to drain the cutlets on paper towels so they soak up any excess oil.
- What to do with leftovers - leftovers can be eaten cold or reheated in a hot oven or in a skillet until hot. Use them up in salads or sandwiches, they're delicious on a focaccia with grilled veggies and pesto!
- Storage - leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days or can be frozen.
- Freezing - the cutlets can be reheated from frozen. Lay them on a baking tray, pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F) and bake for 15-20 minutes until piping hot all the way through.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Jim Clarke
Can these be done in an Air Fryer ? How much time will they need ?
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Jim, I've never used the air fryer but I'm assuming you can cook them in it. I have no idea on timings though, maybe check the suggestions on the air fryer for chicken?
Sarah
I usually fry my cutlets for just a few minutes then bake them in the oven. Can I still do that with this recipe?
Emily
Yes, of course!
Jody Vitas
I made these for supper last night, so easy and delicious. Will definitely make again.
Inside the rustic kitchen
So happy you enjoyed it!
Tony
Just tried this recipe, because I forgot I was out of eggs. Leaving out the egg is unfortunately not a substitute for traditional chicken cutlets. The biggest problem is that even when nicely browned the texture is very pasty. Also, the first side looks OK, but the second side sticks to the pan I assume because the crumbs don't fuse together as they do with the egg. I ended up added tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and baked it, which helped, but again, this does not come out like a traditional chicken cutlet in either flavor, texture or appearance..
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Tony, sorry you had trouble with the recipe. You have to leave out the flour and the egg not just the egg or the crumbs won't stick properly. As for it working on one side and not the other, it sounds like you maybe didn't have enough oil in your pan to fry on the other side? Food crumbed in breadcrumbs can soak up a lot of oil quickly. I use this method all the time (I rarely use flour and egg these days) and I've never had any issues, you just need to make sure to press the chicken into the crumbs firmly.
Kimberly
I tried this recipe last night for a dinner party beyond Delicious Thank you
Inside the rustic kitchen
So happy you enjoyed it, thanks so much!
Groot
Hi! Just wanna ask if the chicken should be dry before coating or not?
Emily
Hey, yes, use the chicken straight from the packet you shouldn't need to pat it dry unless there is excess moisture/liquid in there.
Danna
I just bought a big package of chicken breasts. I cut them into cutlets (got 3-4 per breast), and froze them. Pulled a few out to cook tonight but didn't want to waste an egg or flour. The fewer trips to the food pickup, the better right now. I used to do cutlets this way but dipped in oil then crumbs then under broiler. This method with the 2-3 presses worked great with a little oil in pan. I will never go back to flour and egg thank you! Healthier, lighter, and cooks fast. Delicious! The trick to no sticking is always a non stick pan, heated, then oil, heat, then the cutlets go in. Thank you for sharing this.
Inside the rustic kitchen
So happy you enjoyed it! I very rarely go back to using flour and egg because I love how light and crispy these are 🙂
Denise
I just mixed the cheapest store-bought bread crumbs I could find with some generic chicken spices, put in the chicken breast (sliced thin) and pan-fried them in about three table spoons of olive oil. They were delicious! Thank you for the inspiration!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Denise, sounds so delicious, thank so much for stopping by!
Barbara
I’m lousy at frying. Can these be baked?
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Barbara, yes, I haven't baked them myself but I don't see why it would work. I'd spray them with olive oil cooking spray or something similar if baking. Thank you!
Sasha @ Eat Love Eat
These look to die for! Love your simplified recipe and the photos are beautiful! These are a must-try, for sure.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks so much Sasha, so nice of you!
Marlee
This is such a genius idea! I love having crispy fried anything so getting rid of the unnecessary egg and flour is perfect!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thank you Marlee!
Dina-Marie
I love being able to leave out unnecessary ingredients and these sound amazing! Thanks - I can't wait to try them b/c simple is always in style!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks so much Dina-Marie, I totally agree!
Soniya
This looks so easy and delicious .. being a mother of two boys who love chicken..I am always looking for some quick and fun Recipe ☝️ looks like I found one today! Excited to try it!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks Soniya, hope you enjoy!
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife
Oh my gosh we make chicken cutlets a lot but the extra dishes with extra steps is always a bother, so I really love that you've eliminated egg! And they look so fresh and crisp. I can't wait to try this!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thank you Marlynn, hope you enjoy it!
Erin - Suburban Simplicity
I love breaded chicken - such a comfort food my whole family loves! With the simple ingredients in this recipe, I'm sure it's delicious. No egg needed.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Total comfort food, thanks Erin!
Lauren
These look so good! I love that they don't require an egg. It saves me time and the mess afterwards!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Yes, who needs more dishes to wash?! Not me!
Vicky
I love a good old fashioned chicken cutlet. This is similar to how my mom made the but she dipped them in egg first. I like the idea of skipping the egg, since why waste an egg. They turned out golden and perfect!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks Vicky, this is definitely less messy!