Italian Chicken Cutlets, plus Pesto and Spinach

These Italian Chicken Cutlets are crispy, juicy and full of flavour. Served with baby spinach tossed in homemade pesto and freshly squeezed lemon juice. This recipe is simple, rustic and incredibly good!

This is one of our favourite ways to enjoy chicken. A crispy, lemon-drenched crumb with juicy, tender chicken and served with a big pile of fresh baby spinach tossed in homemade pesto << best thing ever.

So what makes these chicken cutlets Italian? This is the exact way we have seen it prepared whilst living in Italy (minus the spinach side). There's no herbs, spices or even parmesan in the breadcrumbs but you can totally do that if you like because it is good.

Instead this chicken is prepared and seasoned well with salt and pepper and not forgetting a good dose of freshly squeezed lemon juice because not everything needs a ton of extra ingredients thrown in, right? Simple, rustic food is always our favorite and the kind of recipes we keep going back to.

Plus they are a great base for experimenting so if you want to add some extra spices and switch it up this is the solid recipe to follow!

What's the difference between chicken breasts and chicken cutlets?

A chicken cutlet is a thinly cut chicken breast so they are exactly the same cut of meat it's the thickness that's the main difference between them.

You can easily make chicken cutlets at home by cutting chicken breasts or you can find them pre-cut in most supermarkets to save time.

See the recipe below including notes on ingredients, step by step photos, tips, variations and a video tutorial. For the full printable recipe scroll to the bottom or click the recipe link below

Ingredients – what you need

• Chicken – buy chicken breasts and cut them lengthwise to create a cutlet. In Italy it's easy to find chicken cutlets pre-sliced so if you can get that where you are it's a great shortcut.
• Breadcrumbs – We used panko breadcrumbs to bread our chicken cutlets because it makes it extra light and crispy but you can use regular fine breadcrumbs. If you'd like to add seasonings such as herbs do this yourself so you can control what goes in it.
• Flour – regular all-purpose flour is all you need.
• Eggs – We use large eggs.
• Olive oil – this is what we use for all cooking and frying unless we're deep frying. Sunflower oil would be another good option for this.
• Salt and pepper – it's so important to season the chicken and the crumbs with a little salt to enhanse the flavours.
• Spinach and basil pesto – our homemade Genovese pesto tossed with fresh baby spinach makes an good and healthy side dish.

How to make Breaded Chicken Cutlets – step by step

Cut each chicken breast in half using a sharp knife (photo 1). Place each cutlet in between two sheets of cling film (plastic wrap) and beat it evenly with a rolling pin or meat mallet until 0.5cm / 1/4 inch (photo 2).

Get three bowls ready, one filled with flour, one with beaten egg and one with breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper.

Dip each chicken cutlet one at a time into the flour, followed by the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Press it slightly to ensure the cutlet is evenly covered in breadcrumbs (photos 3-5).

Add olive oil to a large skillet pan, once hot add the chicken cutlets and brown on each side (around 3 minutes each side) the cutlets don't take long because they've been beaten thin (photo 6-7).

Once cooked transfer to a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain for a minute before serving.

Toss the pesto with baby spinach and serve with the chicken cutlets and lemon wedges, squeeze the lemon over the chicken (photo 8).

An alternative method for breading chicken

This might sound crazy but did you know you can make breaded chicken cutlets without egg or flour? We saw this a few times in Italy and it actually works! It's actually solid because do you know how many times we've wanted to make breaded chicken and realised we have no eggs, so annoying.

We have a whole other recipe on how to bread chicken without eggs which is light and good.

Top tips and recipe FAQ's

• The best way to bread chicken – It helps to dip the chicken in egg with one hand and keep the other hand free for the breadcrumbs, that way you don't get in a sticky mess.
• The best breadcrumbs to use – Panko breadcrumbs are the best for this recipe because they are light and crispy but you can also use regular breadcrumbs.
• How to tenderise chicken – Beating the chicken with a rolling pin or meat mallet helps tenderise the chicken making is extra juicy and good.
• Prepare the pesto in advance – Make the pesto in advance but toss it with the spinach last minute before serving to avoid it wilting.
• Drain on kitchen towels – drain the chicken on kitchen towel or paper after frying so they absorb any excess oil.

What's the best oil to use for frying?

We like to use olive oil for frying (these are not deep fried) but sunflower oil is another great option.

Can they be baked instead of fried?

Yes, you can bake these Italian chicken cutlets on a baking tray, drizzled with oil then bake at 350F (180C) for 15-20 minutes.

Can we prepare this in advance?

Absolutely, you can bread the chicken in advance and store them in the fridge either on a plate or container covered with plastic wrap. Then fry them when you're ready to eat. Top Tip: Bring the chicken out of the fridge around 10-15 minutes before cooking. If cold chicken is put in a hot pan it'll tighten and toughen resulting in tough, dry chicken.

How to reheat and store leftovers

In the Fridge – Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days, you can easily reheat them by placing them on a baking tray in a preheated oven (200C/400F) for around 10 minutes until piping hot all the way through.

In the Freezer – You can also freeze leftovers in a suitable container. To reheat from frozen place the frozen cutlets on a baking tray in a preheated oven (200C/400F) and bake for around 20 minutes until piping hot all the way through.

Serving suggestions

These tasty chicken cutlets are good served with Italian roast potatoes alongside the spinach and pesto or a simple arugula salad with shavings of parmesan.

If you have leftovers you can either reheat them until piping hot or eat them cold. Cut them into slices and enjoy them with salad for a quick and easy lunch or dinner or even add them to sandwiches or focaccia with grilled veggies!

More easy chicken recipes you might like

• Simple Lemon Roast Chicken
• Breaded Chicken Cutlets – No Flour No Egg
• One Pot Chicken with Olives, Tomatoes and Lentils
• Chicken Croquettes with Ricotta and Thyme
• Chicken Pizzaiola with Smoked Scamorza Cheese
• Chicken Cacciatore – Pollo alla Cacciatora

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 2 chicken breasts
• 3 cups panko breadcrumbs ((100g))
• 1 cup all purpose flour ((130g))
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 1 batch Homemade pesto
• 4 cups baby spinach ((60g))
• 4 lemon wedges (, for serving)
• olive oil (for frying)
• salt and pepper

Method

1. Cut each chicken breast in half using a sharp knife. Place each cutlet in between two sheets of cling film (plastic wrap) and beat it evenly with a rolling pin or meat mallet until 0.5cm / 1/4 inch then sprinkle with a little salt.

2. Get three bowls ready, one filled with flour, one with beaten egg and one with breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper.

3. Dip each chicken cutlet one at a time into the flour, followed by the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Press it slightly to ensure the cutlet is evenly covered in breadcrumbs.

4. Add olive oil to a large skillet pan, once hot add the chicken cutlets and brown on each side (around 3 minutes each side) the cutlets don't take long because they've been beaten thin.

5. Once cooked transfer to a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain for a minute before serving.

6. Toss the pesto with baby spinach and serve with the chicken cutlets and lemon wedges, make sure to squeeze the lemon over the chicken.

Kitchen notes

• Best way to bread chicken It helps to dip the chicken in egg with one hand and keep the other hand free for the breadcrumbs, that way you don't get in a sticky mess.
• Best crumbs to use Panko breadcrumbs are the best for this recipe because they are light and crispy but you can also use regular breadcrumbs.
• Tenderising chicken Beating the chicken with a rolling pin or meat mallet helps tenderise the chicken making it extra juicy and good.
• Prepare pesto in advance Make the pesto in advance but toss it with the spinach last minute before serving to avoid it wilting.
• Prepare chicken in advance You can prep the chicken in advance and store it in the fridge on a plate or container cover with plastic wrap. This makes dinner even fast and all you need to do is fry them when you're ready to eat.
• Store in the fridge Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days, you can easily reheat them by playing on a baking tray in a preheated oven (200C/400F) for around 10 minutes until piping hot all the way through.
• Store in the freezer You can also freeze leftovers in a suitable container. To reheat from frozen place the frozen cutlets on a baking tray in a preheated oven (200C/400F) and bake for around 20 minutes until piping hot all the way through.