Cotolette (Chicken Cutlets)

Nanna’s chicken cutlets are easy and quick to put together any night of the week! They can be enjoyed with a variety of sides you have on hand, but our favorite is with a simple garden salad and roasted potatoes. Chicken cutlets are also great inside of a panini. What makes chicken cutlets so great is that you can enjoy them fresh, or you can easily freeze them and pull them out for an even quicker meal. We usually fry our cutlets because it’s faster but they can be baked, or cooked in the air fryer as well.

Nanna always had chicken cutlets on hand, either fresh or frozen. She would pull them out with the invitation to stay for dinner after an afternoon visit. Who could say no to that? She would serve them with pasta, soups, salads, and vegetables, you name it. She made sure you left with a very full tummy, and if you were lucky, some leftover for lunch the next day. We fondly remember Nanna sending Nonno down into the basement with chunks of her leftover bread to grind into bread crumbs. Do all Italian grandparents have a bread grinder in their basement? We think that Nanna’s chicken cutlets were the best because she used bread crumbs from her homemade bread. Emma’s bread is a recipe we are still working on perfecting, so in the meantime, store-bought breadcrumbs will do the trick.

                                                              

Wise words from Nanna:

Bread crumbs- we like to use plain bread crumbs for this recipe but you can use any kind, even panko tastes great. 

Frying- frying is easy and convenient, but if you have the time baking them works great too! Make sure you drizzle them with olive oil before baking. If air frying, spray them with a good olive oil spray before, and when you flip them. 

Olive oil- once you start using a good quality olive oil you won’t go back! Aurelia’s dad works in the Italian food industry, so she always has the best on hand. He always tells us to buy extra virgin and to make sure it was made in Italy. 

Serves: 4 (with leftovers) 

Prep time: 30 Minutes

Total time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients

4-5 chicken breasts

¾  cup of flour

1 ½ cups of bread crumbs

¼  cup of finely grated parmesan cheese

6 sprigs of fresh chopped Italian parsley

1 tsp baking soda

4 eggs

3 tbsp of milk

½ cup of olive oil

Salt and pepper 

Instructions:

  1. Remove chicken tenders from the breast, and filet the large part of the chicken to make thin pieces. Using a cutting board, take each piece of chicken (including tenders) and pound it into thinner pieces using a meat tenderizer. We like to use two pieces of saran wrap on either side of the chicken while tenderizing (this makes for an easier clean-up). Season the chicken using salt and pepper and set aside.
  2. Prepare 3 medium-sized shallow bowls. In one bowl whisk the eggs, milk, baking soda, and parsley. In the second bowl mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan, and salt and pepper to your preference. In the third bowl add the flour. 
  3. One by one, cover each piece of chicken in flour by placing it in the flour bowl and making sure it is covered. Shake off excess flour, then dredge the chicken in the egg mixture. Let any excess drip off, then place in the bread crumb bowl making sure the chicken is completely coated. 
  4. Add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of your frying pan and heat on medium-high. Once the oil is hot reduce heat to medium and fry cutlet for about 5 minutes on each side. If you have a grease splatter screen, you can use this to prevent oil splatter. They should be golden brown on both sides. Add more olive oil as needed. You may have to cook cutlets in 2-3 batches, make sure not to overcrowd the pan with too many at a time. 

We hope you love these chicken cutlets as much as we do! Buon appetito!

With love, 

M & A xo