If you are looking for a quick weeknight chicken dinner, this recipe for easy chicken Milanese with a lemony arugula salad, is something you need to try. Crispy and juicy, these super flavorful chicken cutlets topped with a refreshing simple salad make for a very satisfying meal!
What is chicken Milanese
Chicken Milanese is a Northern Italian play on the classic Austrian Wiener Schnitzel that is made with veal. In culinary terms “Milanese” means breaded and sautéed and then topped with a bright lemony salad. Thin chicken scaloppine,(or cutlets), Parmesan cheese in the breading, and lots of lemon notes make this dish so delicious as well as very easy to make.
In classic Italian style, this main course is typically not served next to a starch (the starch would come as a first course), but with a simple salad on top!
The five steps for making easy chicken Milanese
- Prepare the chicken cutlets and the simple breading station
- Coat the chicken with the breading, place on a rack and refrigerate to set the breading
- Prepare the salad and the simple vinaigrette and set aside
- Sauté the chicken and keep it warm
- Assemble the dish
To Make ahead:
You can prepare the chicken Milanese and keep the cutlets in the refrigerator for up to eight hours before sautéing them. Although the cutlets are best when they are freshly cooked, if you cook more than you can eat, they will keep in the refrigerator for three days. To warm them up, place in a 350° F oven until hot and crisp.
Optional side dishes:
Even though this dish is traditionally served on its own as a main course in Italy, it often comes after a small bowl of risotto or pasta as a first course. Short of replicating the same sequence of a “primo” and a “secondo” course, we have other, not traditional options. These delicious skillet roasted potatoes come to mind, and also, this easy oven-baked polenta that I posted recently! Both would pair very well with this easy chicken Milanese (as would a crisp white wine)!
- For the chicken:
- 4 4-5 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (or, two, 8 oz. pieces)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup fresh bread crumbs (or, dried, unseasoned breadcrumbs)
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- --- fine sea salt & freshly ground pepper
- ½ tsp. garlic powder (optional)
- 4 TBSP. olive oil
- 2 TBSP. butter (or, more olive oil)
- 1 TBSP. fresh parsley, finely minced
- 1 lemon cut into wedges, for serving
- For the salad:
- 1½ TBSP. lemon juice
- 3 TBSP. olive oil
- --- --- sea salt and ground black pepper
- 3 cups baby arugula
- ½ sm. red onion, sliced into paper thin ribbons (or, 1 small shallot)
- Preheat the oven to 200° F (this is to keep the first batch of cutlets warm while you cook the rest).
- Prepare the chicken: Pat dry the chicken breasts and place them on a cutting board. Butterfly each chicken breast in half lengthwise by cutting to, but not through, the opposite side using a sharp knife and holding it parallel to the cutting board. This will leave you with four, butterflied portions. Open up the piece of chicken like a book (each half should be about ¼-inch thick. If thicker than that, place the chicken between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap and pound it to about ¼-inch thickness, using the flat side of a meat tenderizer. See note *, below.). If the chicken breasts are larger (about 8 oz. each), use only 2 of them and butterfly each into two separate cutlets, leaving you with four, individual portions of about 4 oz. each.
- Prepare your workstation: Put the flour in one shallow and wide bowl (or, a soup plate). Beat the eggs and place them in a second shallow bowl. Combine the breadcrumbs, panko and Parmesan cheese and place that in a third shallow bowl. Season both sides of your chicken with the salt, pepper and garlic powder. One by one, dredge the seasoned chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip it in the egg wash, then dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture; pat it lightly. Transfer the chicken pieces to a wire rack and chill them uncovered for at least 30 minutes, or, refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
- For the salad: Pour the olive oil and the lemon juice in a small jar and season with salt and pepper. Shake well to combine and set aside. In a bowl toss together the arugula and thinly sliced onion or shallot ribbons.
- Set a large, non-stick, 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add half of the olive oil and half of the butter and swirl it around. When it is hot, slip in two cutlets (or, as many as can fit comfortably without overlapping), making sure to let them fall away from you so you do not get burned. Cook for 3 minutes, or, until golden brown on the first side. Flip and cook 2-3 minutes more or until cooked through (cooking time will depend on the thickness of the chicken). Using tongs, transfer the chicken to an ovenproof plate, sprinkle lightly with a little salt and pop them into the oven to keep warm. At this point, if the butter in the skillet looks burnt, wipe the pan clean. Add the remaining olive oil and the remaining butter and cook the two other cutlets.
- Arrange the chicken on a warmed serving platter, or, place on individual plates and sprinkle with the parsley. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and mix to combine. Top each chicken with some of the salad. Serve immediately, with a lemon wedge on the side.
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Marilena- One more delightful addition to your magical collection of recipes for us to explore and enjoy..Thank you so very much for including this
selection which opened many doors to Italian Spices and techniques. It is very easy but also offers a taste of intrigue and complexity along the way. Yassou!
Hi Estelle, thank you so much for your comment. I am so glad you like the recipes and and techniques I share on my blog!
Marilena
Thank you for reminding us of this fresh and easy way to prepare chicken breasts! I love the idea of topping them with the bright arugula salad. It’s like a much-needed jump on Springtime—and the photos take us there!
I also love the bright, citrusy topping of this simple dish so much! So glad you like my photos – I definitely wanted to create a light and airy scene for this recipe! As you said, Springtime can’t come fast enough:)
Made this for dinner last night….delicious and easy. I used shallots instead onion in the salad…yum… For dessert we had your delicious chocolate budino from our fabulous class Friday night. What more could one ask for…..
So glad you liked it so much, Cynthia! Yes, shallots are a great substitute for the red onions and much milder too. Thank you for all your help at the cooking school, Friday night! 🙂
I completely agree with Estelle, Ratatouille and Cynthia; this is easy, delicious, fresh and delightful! Pair this with a great white wine for a perfectly simple weeknight dinner. Wow.
Thank you for your comment! It is truly a perfect weeknight dinner, especially when paired with a glass of white wine!
Insanely good dish. I made this for my (finicky) wife last week and she loved it….so much so that she requested it again tonight!
This makes me so happy to know! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment, Chris, I really appreciate it!
Marilena, another fantastic recipe from you!! Insanely busy week led me to leave the prepared, breaded chicken fillets in the refrigerator an extra 24 hours. Fixed it for friends on Thursday night and everyone loved it. Took some to a neighbor who is battling cancer the next day and her husband called to get the recipe. (They had done the same thing with your chicken kebab recipe; they could not get over how delicious it was.)
What can I say? You continue to provide the most delicious, inspiring and reliable recipes I’ve ever found.
Thank you and keep all these ideas coming! All the best from New Mexico.
Hello from Greece! It makes me so happy to know that you continue to make my recipes and that you share them with your friends too:) Thank you so much for taking the time to share this Sandy, I truly appreciate it! I hope you all have a wonderful summer:)
This is such a great recipe. Thank you!!
Thank you so much, Veronica. Such an easy and delicious recipe!