With just three ingredients and less than 10 minutes of cooking time, these Italian Chicken Cutlets are one of the absolute best chicken recipes to share with the kids.
This super simple chicken recipe for kids is one I turn to over and over again. This is a recipe I grew up eating and often make for just myself—but my kids love them, too.
Chicken cutlets are thin breaded chicken that is most commonly pan-fried so you get a crispy exterior and tender chicken in the center.
Since chicken cutlets are so thin, they take only a few minutes per side to make—which makes them an excellent family dinner and really easy for little kids to chew.
And when we use Italian-flavored bread crumbs, the flavor is just delicious—whether on their own, paired with pasta and marinara sauce, or even chopped and served over a Caesar salad dressing and lettuce.
Why This Recipe Works
These Italian Chicken Cutlets are easy to make in a short amount of time, the chicken is always tender and delicious, and they even reheat beautifully.
(Note: You can use this recipe in my Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad and Chicken Cutlet Sandwiches.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need to make this easy recipe so you know what to have on hand and ready to go.
- Thin-sliced chicken breast: Look for this chicken, which is very thinly sliced and sold in a package near other chicken in most grocery stores, since it’s the perfect thickness for making chicken cutlets.
- Italian-flavored bread crumbs: I use this type of bread crumbs since they have all the flavor you need in the mix.
- Egg: I use large eggs in my cooking and baking, so that’s what I use here. If you need to make your chicken cutlets egg-free, use vegan mayo instead of eggs.
Featured Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“This comes together so quickly and my whole family loves it (including my 2 and 4 year old)! Thank you!” —Jessica
Step-by-Step Instructions
Below is an overview of the recipe so you know what to expect from the process. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full recipe, including the timing and amounts.
Step 1. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. This helps to ensure the egg and bread crumbs will adhere nicely.
Step 2. Add the egg and the breadcrumbs to two separate shallow bowls.
Step 3. Completely coat each piece of chicken in the egg, then in the bread crumbs.
Step 4. Warm olive oil in a pan and cook the chicken on both sides. Slice and serve.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Because the chicken is thinly sliced, each piece cooks in just a few minutes per side — total cook time is under 10 minutes.
Cook until lightly golden and the chicken reaches 165 °F on an instant-read thermometer — tender inside with a crispy crumb coating.
They’re great on their own, paired with pasta and marinara sauce, or chopped and served over a Caesar salad.
How to Store
Let cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Or add to a plastic storage bag and remove as much air as possible. Seal and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
These can be served cold or at room temperature. Or to reheat, warm in a 375- degree-oven or air fryer for 3-4 minutes.
Best Tips for Success
- Serve with a favorite pasta recipe for kids, ketchup, or over Caesar salad.
- Look for chicken labeled “thin-sliced” or “thinly sliced” to make this easy.
- If starting with regular chicken breast, you’ll want to cut them into pieces that are 1/4-1/2-inches thick.
- Sprinkle with salt if desired.
- If desired, you can transfer the cooked cutlets to a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb some of the olive oil. (I don’t usually do that but it’s fine if you’d like to.)
- Try my Giambotta for another Italian-American classic.
- Find more chicken recipes that are easy for toddlers to chew including my Breaded Chicken Tenders, Marinated Chicken Tenders, and Easy Chicken Nuggets.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please comment below to share.
Italian Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients
- 1 pound thinly sliced chicken breast
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- ½ cup Italian-flavored bread crumbs
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
- Place the eggs and bread crumbs into two separate shallow dishes. Completely coat the chicken in the egg, then the bread crumbs. Set aside on a clean plate.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet ((I use nonstick) over medium heat. After a minute, drop a bit of breadcrumbs into the oil to see if it sizzles. If not, wait another minute for the oil to heat.
- Add the chicken, tilting the pan to move the oil around as needed, and being careful not to overlap the pieces.
- Cook for 3 minutes, then turn over and cook for 3-4 more minutes, or until the chicken registers 165-degrees-F with an instant-read thermometer. If the bottom starts to brown too deeply, lower the heat slightly.
- (If all of your chicken doesn't fit in the pan at the same time without crowding, plan to do this in two batches—adding more oil in between.)
- Remove from the pan with tongs, drain on a paper towel if desired, slice, and serve hot.
Notes
- Let cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Or add to a plastic storage bag and remove as much air as possible. Seal and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- These can be serve cold or at room temperature. Or to reheat, warm in a 375-degree-oven or air fryer for 3-4 minutes.
- Look for chicken labeled “thin-sliced” or “thinly sliced” to make this easy.
- If starting with regular chicken breast, you’ll want to cut them into pieces that are 1/4-1/2-inches thick.
- Egg-free: Use about ¼ cup vegan mayo in place of the eggs.
- Sprinkle with salt if desired.
- If desired, you can transfer the cooked cutlets to a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb some of the olive oil. (I don’t usually do that but it’s fine if you’d like to.)
- To make in the air fryer, spray the cutlets lightly with olive oil spray and air fry at 375 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.
Nutrition
This post was first published in February 2024.
Absolutely delicious!
Novice cook here, and I could not believe how easy and delicious these are! Thank you for sharing the tricks of the trade!
You’re so welcome!
so easy and good! even my 2 year old loved them!
This was very easy, love the short ingredient list AND very tasty. My kids really liked them cut into small squares or strips and dipped in ketchup. I paired it with steamed veggies and it was a fast and healthy meal.
I get a little nervous cooking chicken, but this was easy and so good! My toddler happily ate some (and he’s big in to saying everything new is “yucky” so a few strips of it are a big win).
That’s great!
The whole family loved this one! A much easier version of my mom’s “city chicken” I grew up eating. Very quick to throw together in a pinch too, which I need! Will definitely make again.
Made these tonight with mini chicken breast fillets. So easy to make. I was pleased to be offering something a little different. And my 5 year old just ate and ate! I will be making them again!
For anyone wondering about adapting this for gluten free…I used gluten free bread crumbs (Aleia Italian Bread Crumbs) and it worked perfectly.
Great simple recipe!
That’s a great brand!
Needed a little salt but was SO easy and turned out really yummy. Will definitely be coming back to this regularly.
Glad to hear it! (And I hear you on the salt. I sometimes don’t add it since the breadcrumb brand I like is fairly salty.)
Made this for dinner tonight and they are SO good and so easy! My 2 year old twins enjoyed too. Thank you for making mealtimes easy ♥️
Can’t wait to try these!! They look so delicious and simple to make! Thank you!!
You’re so welcome and enjoy!
What would be a good substitute for the egg?
Vegan mayo is my recommendation. Enjoy!
Love this recipe! I have a kiddo who has an egg allergy, what would be a good swap?
Vegan mayo works well!
Anyway to make this without eggs? Son is allergic. Someone said to just dip in milk but I don’t know. Ty ❤️
I would use vegan mayo instead. Enjoy!
Just jumping in to say I’ve used whole milk instead for my egg-allergic child, and it works ok. In case you don’t have vegan mayo to work with.
Hi there! Could you use almond flour instead of bread crumbs and then add in additional spices for flavor?
I haven’t tried that and my only concern is that it might be soggy, but I think if you make sure the oil is hot before you add it to the pan, it should work okay!