My family's Italian Chicken Cutlets are the best! I'm giving up all our secrets so you can make breaded chicken cutlets that are juicy, tender and delicious.
Grate the cheeses, if needed. Mix the bread crumb ingredients in a bowl.
If starting with thin chicken cutlets, proceed to the next step of pounding them. If starting with thick chicken breasts, you'll need to slice them thinly. On a large cutting board, use a large, straight-edged knife to thin the chicken breasts by slicing through them to cut them in half. (See the photo in the post.) It helps to place one hand flat on top of the chicken breast, while using the other hand to hold the knife while cutting through the chicken with a sawing motion. You will end up with two halves connected in the middle like a butterfly. Vertically slice through the center to separate the two halves.
To pound your chicken cutlets, cover them with a large sheet of plastic wrap (to prevent a mess). Use a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy frying pan to pound the chicken so that it is no more than ¼ inch thick. (It might be a bit thinner than that.) Lift the plastic, flip the chicken over, cover it again with plastic wrap, and pound the other side. Discard the plastic wrap and wash your hands well if you touched the raw meat.
Crack your two eggs and add them to a small bowl, such as a pasta dish. Season the eggs with the salt and pepper and beat the eggs with a fork.
Set up an assembly line from left to right with your chicken, the bowl of eggs, your bread crumb mixture and a clean platter. Use a fork to pierce a cutlet, dip it in the egg, then in the bread crumbs. Cover the breast with the bread crumbs and pat them onto the chicken with the fork or your hands. Flip the chicken over and bread the other side. Place the breaded cutlet onto the platter and continue until you have breaded all of your chicken. Discard any leftover egg mixture and any breadcrumbs that had raw chicken dipped in it.
On the stove, heat your largest skillet on medium high. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and let it get hot. When the oil is sizzling, add some chicken cutlets to the pan in a single layer. You will probably need to cook them in two batches, since they won't all fit. Cook the chicken on the first side for almost three minutes, then flip the chicken over and cook it for another two minutes. The chicken should be golden brown on both sides.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean platter. (You can cut into one to make sure it's done. It should not be pink inside.) Cover the chicken loosely with foil.
If the olive oil has turned dark after cooking the first batch, remove the pan from the heat and wipe out the pan with paper towels. Add another 3 tablespoons of olive oil so you can cook the next batch of cutlets in clean oil.
Continue cooking the rest of the cutlets. Let the cutlets rest under the foil for at least five minutes before serving, to help keep them juicy.
Store leftover Italian chicken cutlets in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The leftovers are great in sandwiches.
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Notes
The cutlets are amazing with homemade bread crumbs, but use what you have. If starting with seasoned Italian bread crumbs, just add the Parmesan and Romano and skip the other bread crumb ingredients.
My family uses olive oil to fry our cutlets, because it tastes delicious. However, olive oil has a low smoke point, and will turn dark once you've fried a panful of cutlets. You'll need to wipe out the pan and replenish it with clean olive oil to fry the next batch. If you prefer, you can use canola or vegetable oil, which have higher smoke points.