Description
Golden, crispy pecorino-crusted chicken cutlets blanketed in a silky lemon-herb cream sauce. Bright, zesty, and comforting all at once, this weeknight-friendly stunner is pure crowd-pleasing magic.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin cutlets
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 3/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil, for frying
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- Optional garnish: extra pecorino and lemon slices
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry and season lightly with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Set up three shallow bowls: flour in one, beaten eggs in the second, panko mixed with pecorino, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in the third.
- Dredge each cutlet in flour, shaking off excess, dip in eggs, then press into the panko-pecorino mixture until well coated.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Fry cutlets in batches 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to stay crisp.
- Reduce heat to medium. In the same skillet, melt butter and sauté garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Whisk in chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits, then stir in heavy cream and simmer 2 to 3 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Stir in lemon juice and parsley, taste, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Return cutlets to the pan briefly or plate cutlets and spoon the creamy lemon-herb sauce over the top.
- Garnish with extra pecorino and lemon slices. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Chill breaded cutlets for 10 minutes before frying to help the coating adhere.
- Keep the oil hot enough so the cutlets sizzle on contact for maximum crispness.
- Add lemon juice at the end of the sauce to keep flavors bright.
- For a lighter version, bake at 400°F 20 to 25 minutes, flipping once.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cutlet with sauce
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 165 mg
Keywords: chicken cutlets, lemon chicken, pecorino chicken, creamy lemon herb sauce, weeknight dinner, crispy chicken