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Crusted Romano Chicken Cutlets are the only way I’ll make chicken cutlets again! Dredge them in a seasoned flour, eggs, and finally the cheesiest Romano cheese and panko breadcrumb coating. These are to die for!
The only way I’ll ever, ever eat chicken cutlets again.
Crusted Chicken Romano cutlets have a piece of my heart.
I know, I have a KILLER parmesan chicken cutlet recipe already on the blog that went kinda viral on TikTok with over 2.4 million views…
… but hear me out, these are even better.
The chicken is tender and juicy on the inside and the outside is that perfect crust of crispy panko breadcrumbs and cheesy goodness. I’m seriously salivating thinking about the leftovers and how it would make a mean caesar chicken wrap. Ugh. Yes, please. Extra points if you make the two minute caesar salad dressing to go with it.
We’re not doing anything fancy. But we are adding in plenty of cheese, cutting our cutlets nice and thin, and instead of slicing the chicken horizontally like I have for the last decade for homemade chicken cutlets, today we’re slicing the chicken breast vertically into thin slices and then pounding it down into a cutlet. I learned this off of TikTok and I cannot go back to the old way now.
All you need is a little pasta, maybe a little spaghetti in marinara sauce action on the side or manifest spring and keep things light and fresh with a simple Granny Smith, arugula and parmesan cheese salad.
You’ve had a chicken cutlet, but I’m telling you, you haven’t had a Romano crusted chicken cutlet like this.
This is just like the Cheesecake Factory copycat for Chicken Romano, but dare I say better.
Ingredients for Crusted Romano Chicken Cutlets
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: Chicken cutlets (in my opinion) are best made with white meat chicken. Instead of slicing the chicken breast horizontally, I slice them vertically then place them between two sheets of parchment paper and pound them down with a meat tenderizer.
- All Purpose Flour: This is the first step of the dreading process. We’ll flavor the flour with tons of seasonings.
- Seasonings: We are not skimping on the seasoning in this recipe. We’ll use a full teaspoon of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Eggs: The second step in the dredging process is the egg wash. The flour dries up the surface of the chicken, then we’ll dip it in beaten eggs. This will act as the glue for the third step, which is the breading step.
- Panko Bread crumbs: panko gives crusted chicken Romano that signature crispy crust. We’ll do a combination of bread crumbs with cheese. This is the last step in the dredging process.
- Pecorino Romano Cheese: this is a grated cheese, similar to parmesan made with sheep’s milk. It had a sharper flavor and is typically a bit saltier.
- Parmesan Cheese: we’ll add a bit of parmesan cheese as well to give the cutlets plenty of flavor! We’ll also finish the dish with a little parmesan right at the end.
- Avocado Oil: I like to fry my cutlets in avocado oil because that’s typically what we use at home. You can use any high heat oil that you prefer to cook with, be it vegetable oil, canola oil, or corn. I would stear clear of olive oil for this recipe though as it has a low smoke point.
- Arugula: If you opt to serve this with the salad, then you’ll need a few ounces of fresh baby arugula.
- Lemon Juice: is the acid for the lemon dijon dressing we’ll toss the salad in.
- Honey: a squeeze of honey balances out the salty and tangy elements of the recipe.
- Red Onions: I like a few red onions to balance out the apples and arugula.
- Apple: I prefer to use Granny Smith apples as they make this recipe a bit more elevated and pair well with the protein we’re using.
Making Romano Crusted Chicken Cutlets
- Pound down the chicken. The first step in making an amazing chicken cutlets is to make sure that the chicken cutlet is nice and even. Once you slice the chicken vertically, place it between two sheets of parchment paper and using a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken into a thin cutlet. Aim to have all the cutlets the same thickness so that they cook up in the same amount of time.
- Set up a dredging station. Grab three shallow bowls. You want to add the flour and the seasonings to the first bowl. Give it a good stir so that the seasonings are evenly dispersed. The eggs get beaten in the second bowl and the third bowl contains the cheese and the panko. Dip the chicken cutlet in the flour mixture, shake off the excess, then into the egg wash, and finally you’ll dip it in the panko and cheese mixture.I like to really press the cutlet down in the cheese so that it further thins the cutlet and you pick up more crumb coating.
- Get ready to fry. Heat a stainless steel skillet over medium high heat and add the oil. Once hot, drop a panko crumb in the oil to see how quickly it browns. If it’s super quick, turndown the heat a bitand allow the pan to cool slightly before you add the cutlets.
- Fry them up. When the oil is hot, add two to three cutlets a time depending on the size of your skillet. Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes total. You’ll want flip it around the halfway mark to make sure it’s evenly golden brown on both sides. Then remove them to a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet. This helps circulate the air so that the cutlets don’t accumulate moisture on a plate.
- Make a salad to go with. Add the ingredients for the dressing to amason jar and shake to combine. In a bowl combine all the saladingredients except for the parmesan cheese.Toss the salad with the dressing. Then add parmesan on top.
- Serve it up! Finally, plate the dish by placing the chicken cutlet on the bottom and top with the prepared salad on top.
Other chicken recipes you might like:
- Parmesan Chicken Cutlets with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce
- Pickle-Brined Crispy Chicken Sandwich
- Crispy Chicken Salad with Sriracha Honey BBQ Dressing
- Air Fryer Chicken Bites
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Crispy Chicken Romano Cutlets with Peppery Arugula Salad
Ingredients
Chicken Romano:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken cut into 6 strips vertically
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs whisked
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¾ cup Pecorino Romano grated
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese grated
- ⅓ cup avocado oil or other high heat
Salad:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dijon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3-4 ounces baby arugula
- ½ cup sliced red onions soaked in cold water and drained
- ½ cup sliced thinly sliced Granny Smith apples
- ⅓ cup shredded parmesan
Instructions
- POUND THEM: Place individual chicken strips between layers of parchment paper and pound them into ¼- ½ inch thick slices using a meat tenderizer. Sprinkle chicken with a big pinch of kosher salt on both sides; set aside for now.
- DREDED STATION: In a shallow bowl, combine flour, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper and whisk to combine. In another bowl, add the panko, pecorino, and parmesan, whisk to combine. In a third bowl, crack the eggs and whisk until the eggs are airy and light.
- DREDGE THEM: dunk the chicken in the flour mixture, press to coat, shake off excess. Then place cutlet in the egg wash and make sure no dry bits remain. Transfer to panko mixture. Press the cutlet down so the breading adheres. Place cutlets on a clean plate. Continue dredging the same way.
- GET READY: Heat avocado oil in a sauté pan or a skillet over medium-high heat. Check to see if the oil is hot by dropping a panko crumb. It should sizzle immediately.
- FRY: the cutlets in small batches (2-3 pieces at a time) Allow the chicken to cook for 3-5 minutes total, flipping the chicken around the halfway mark. The chicken should be golden brown. Remove to a wire rack placed on a baking sheet. Continue cooking remaining cutlets the same way. Add more oil if needed.
- MAKE THE SALAD: Combine olive oil, dijon, lemon juice, honey and in a mason jar with a lid. Add a big pinch of salt and freshly cracked pepper. Shake until mixed. In a salad bowl, add arugula, onions, apple and toss in a couple tablespoons of the dressing. Taste and add more dressing as desired. Top with shredded parmesan.
- SERVE: Place cutlets on plate and top with the prepared salad or serve on the side immediately.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
this was delicious. I used a red (jazz) apple with the salad because that was what I had. The chicken fried up perfectly and the salad was a great compliment to it.
Love that you used a sweeter apple for this, Lynn! So glad you enjoyed it and thank you for circling back to leave a review! 🙂
This was really very good. The dressing on the salad was phenomenal. This is definitely a keeper recipe I will make again.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Jeanne! Appreciate you circling back to leave a review 🙂
This is so good, And I have made the salad multiple times already with other dinners as well!!! Your blog is my favorite….every recipe is a hit! Thank you so much!