Lemon chicken cutlets are delicious. Growing up in an Italian family, cutlets were a common dish. I remember both my mom and grandma standing over the stove, frying the thinly pounded chicken until crisp and golden brown. The entire house would smell so good. Today, when I do the same thing, my husband always says, ” It smells like home!” There is something very simple and comforting about this dish that I hope you love as much as my family does.
Thinly pounded chicken breasts are soaked in fresh lemon juice and eggs then coated with a lemony breadcrumb parmesan cheese mixture and fried until crispy. Just before serving I pour a lemon garlic sauce over the top of the chicken. This chicken goes with anything. It can be served with mashed potatoes and green beans. Or try it with pesto pasta and veggies. I can’t wait for you to try this recipe, when you make it let me know what you think!
Here are the ingredients to make Lemon Chicken Cutlets:
Chicken breast- One pound of skinless chicken breasts (boneless). Thinly sliced and pounded to 1/4 inch thickness. You can purchase thin chicken cutlets that are already thinly sliced, but I still find that I need to pound them a bit so that all the pieces are the same thickness. The chicken must be really thin this way it cooks up quickly and evenly. I always recommend buying organic if you can, but I realize it’s pricey so do it when you can.
Eggs- Two large eggs
Lemon- Three good-sized lemons plus their zest. Be sure to zest the lemons BEFORE you cut them in half to juice them. One lemon is for the egg mixture, the zest is for the breadcrumb mixture and the remaining two lemons and zest are for the lemon sauce that goes on the chicken just before serving. This sauce is optional to make, but I highly recommend it. *The zest of the lemon is just the outer yellow peel. When zesting make sure not to get the white part because that is bitter tasting.
Breadcrumbs- One cup of Italian-style breadcrumbs.
Parmesan Cheese- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
Flour- 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour.
Spices- one teaspoon of dried oregano and one teaspoon of dried parsley.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil- 1/3 cup to cook chicken in, plus 1/3 cup for the lemon sauce. Vegetable oil can be used to cook the chicken if you prefer, but use olive oil for the sauce.
Fresh Italian parsley- 1/3 cup fresh parsley. Try and get Italian flat-leaf parsley over curly parsley which is commonly used as a garnish at restaurants.
Garlic- One clove of fresh garlic, finely minced.
How to make lemon chicken cutlets:
Prep the ingredients
Today’s recipe has more steps than usual, but as a whole the recipe is very simple and easy to follow. Begin by prepping the ingredients. I like to start with zesting one lemon and setting the zest aside. Add the juice of that lemon to a shallow bowl. To that bowl crack two eggs. Using a fork or whisk, combine the lemon juice and eggs until mixed.
Pound the chicken thin
If you bought thin chicken cutlets, you may be able to skip this step it just depends on how even and thin the chicken pieces are. To pound the chicken thin start by putting a large piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper over a cutting board. Next, place each piece of chicken on top of the plastic wrap. Now, put another piece of plastic wrap on top of the chicken making sure it covers it completely. Using a meat mallet or meat tenderizor pound the chicken until it’s 1/4 inch thick. This is a fun activity for kids to do if you want them involved in the kitchen. Otherwise take out your aggression and pound away! Worth noting that the chicken pieces actually get bigger the thinner they get.
Season the chicken and soak in the egg mixture
Remove the top layer of plastic and season both sides of the chicken with salt and black pepper. Add the chicken to the egg and lemon mixture making sure that each piece of chicken is coated in the eggs. Let the chicken marinate while you make the bread crumbs. Remove the last piece of plastic from the cutting board and discard.
Prepare bread crumb mixture
To a large plate or shallow dish add bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, flour, oregano, parsley, and the lemon zest you set aside from earlier. Using a fork mix until combined evenly.
Set up an assembly line
There should be 3 stations. Wet (egg/chicken) Dry (breadcrumbs) Landing (sheet pan/cooking sheet). I like to cover my sheet pan or cutting board with foil for easy clean up. Using a fork, take one piece of chicken at a time and let the excess liquid drip off, then place it into the breadcrumb mixture. Using your fingers or a clean fork to help completely cover the chicken on both sides with breadcrumbs. Pressing down so the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken breast. Remove to the cutting board and repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.
Time to cook
Over medium-high heat, warm oil in a large skillet, once oil is shimmering and hot carefully place chicken breast into pan. Depending on how large your pan is, you will have to cook in batches so you don’t over crowd the pan. I can usually fit, 2-3 pieces in my large stainless steel pan. Cook the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side. It should be golden brown and crispy. If the chicken is thicker it will take longer to cook. Remove the chicken to a large platter or plate. Repeat until all chicken is cooked.
Make the sauce
Even though I mentioned the lemon garlic sauce is optional I highly recommend making it at least once. It really takes this dish to another level of delicousness! While the chicken is cooking mince the garlic. Warm a small pan over medium heat with olive oil, once the oil is warm add the minced garlic. Let it start to sizzle, but do not let it brown. You just want it to be fragrant and soft. This takes only 30 seconds or so. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool slightly.
While that’s cooling add the zest of 2 lemon to a bowl along with the juice. Add 1/4 cup of fresh minced parsley to the lemon juice and stir to combine. Once the oil has cooled add it to the lemon juice and zest. Mix with a fork to combine. Set aside until all of the chicken in cooked.
Plate the chicken and top with sauce
Place all the chicken on a large plate or platter and just before serving pour the lemon garlic sauce over the top. The crispy yet tender chicken served along side creamy mashed potatoes and some veggies makes the perfect weeknight meal. Everyone in my family is a fan of this dish and I hope you like it too!
More recipes to try!
Lemon Chicken Cutlets
These lemon chicken cutlets are delicious! Thinly pounded chicken breast are coated in a lemony breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese then lightly pan fried until crispy. Topped with a garlic lemon sauce this will surely become a weeknight favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breast (about 4 breasts pounded thin to 1/4 inch)
- 2 eggs
- 3 lemons (Zest and juice)
- 1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/3 cup Olive oil for cooking chicken
Optional Lemon Garlic Sauce (but highly recommend!)
- 2 lemons (zest and juice)
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
Instructions
- Zest 1 lemon and set aside. Juice the lemon and add to a shallow bowl or glass pie dish.
- Add 2 eggs to shallow bowl with lemon juice.
- Pound chicken thin. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on over the cutting board. Place chicken breasts on top of plastic wrap. Next cover chicken completely with another piece of plastic wrap. Using a meat tenderizer pound chicken until flat and about 1/4 inch thick. Remove top plastic and season chicken all over with salt and pepper.
- Add chicken to the egg and lemon mixture. Let sit while you make the breadcrumb mixture.
- To a shallow bowl or large plate add breadcrumbs, flour, parmesan cheese, dried oregano, dried parsley, and lemon zest. Stir to combine.
- Doing one at a time add chicken breast to breadcrumb mixture, pressing in the mixture so it sticks to the chicken. Flip chicken over and do it on the other side. Place coated chicken on a sheet pan. Repeat until all chicken has been coated.
- Heat a large pan with 1/3 cup of oil. Once oil is shimmering add chicken. It’s important to work in batches as to not overcrowd the pan. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. If the chicken is on the thicker side it will take longer about 5 minutes per side.
- While the chicken is cooking prepare the sauce (if using). Add 1/3 cup olive oil to a small pot. Once the oil is warm add the garlic. Be sure not to brown the garlic you just want it to soften and be fragrant. This takes only about 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- While the oil is cooling add the zest of the 2 lemons and juice of them as well to a bowl. Add 1/4 cup fresh minced parsley. Stir to combine. Once the garlic oil has cooled a bit carefully add it to the lemon juice mixture. Whisk to fully combine. Set aside until all of the chicken has been cooked.
- Finish cooking chicken and put onto a platter or large plate. Pour lemon sauce over the hot chicken and serve.
Notes
- If you don’t make the sauce I recommend squeezing some lemon juice and grating fresh parmesan cheese over the top of the chicken before serving.
- When you pound the chicken thin you could also put 2 chicken breast inside a large ziplock back and pound it thin that way as well. You would just have to do it in 2 batches because 4 pieces of chicken won’t fit inside the bag at once. The chicken expands and gets bigger as you pound it thinner.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 806Total Fat: 50gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 37gCholesterol: 220mgSodium: 564mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 5gSugar: 4gProtein: 53g
**I have included an estimation of the nutrition information for this recipe. However always remember a recipe is so much more than just nutritional content and these numbers do not need to dictate your food choices. Please don’t forget that both your body and soul need nourishment! The owner of this website is not liable for this estimation.
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