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My kids can’t get enough of these Crispy Baked Chicken Cutlets- baked in the oven and turn out perfectly every time. They are so crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Easy to make and a perfect dish that the whole family can enjoy
You may also love my chicken cutlet sandwich or my baked parmesan-crusted chicken.
These oven-baked chicken cutlets are so tender and juicy on the inside and super crispy and crunchy at the same time. Made with a delicious garlic parmesan coating and tastes just like fried chicken. My kids love this dish because it’s their favorite thing to order at restaurants and they get to now enjoy it at home. Winner winner!
An easy weeknight meal that’s ready in just about 30 minutes. Serve it with garlic-roasted vegetables or crispy parmesan roasted potatoes over salads like this Italian Chopped Salad or pasta like this lemon ricotta pasta.
Ingredients for Baked Chicken cutlets
Below is a list of ingredients you will need to make this recipe. Full measurements are listed further down below in the recipe card.
- Chicken Breasts: You will need about four chicken breasts. I always opt for boneless and skinless because it’s just so much easier!
- Olive Oil: or any other oil of your choice
- Egg: The egg helps to hold all of that breading on the chicken cutlets. A quick dip in the egg mixture ensures that you get the maximum breading without being too thick.
- Milk: I like to add a bit of milk to the eggs. It helps the breadcrumbs stick better to the chicken.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: Use your favorite kind.
- Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese: Adds so much flavor to these cutlets. You can shred or own and use pre-grated.
- Seasonings I used: Garlic Powder, Smoked Paprika, Italian Seasoning, and Sea Salt and Pepper.
- Cooking Spray: I like to use avocado cooking oil spray to keep things light and healthy. However, any neutral oil spray will work here, such as an olive oil spray.
- Fresh Chopped Parsley: I didn’t show this as a main ingredient because it is optional and not really needed.
How to make baked chicken cutlets
Follow these simple steps on how to make baked crispy chicken breasts. They are easy to make and can be ready in no time. If you can marinate the chicken ahead of time then great, if in a hurry and don’t have much time on your hands don’t fret.
Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. This will help prevent the baked chicken from sticking to the pan.
Prepare the chicken: To prepare the cutlets, pound each chicken breast to an even 1/4 inch thickness. Next, rub the chicken with Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and olive oil. We want the chicken to really absorb the flavors of the seasonings.
Marinate: If time allows, marinate it for one hour to overnight. This will give you the most tender and moist chicken! The longer you allow the chicken to marinate, the better it will taste!
Coat chicken: In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, a pinch of salt and pepper. In a shallow dish, combine the panko, garlic powder, with parmesan and smoked paprika. Dip the chicken cutlets into the egg mixture, then dredge it into the panko mixture, lightly pressing to coat.
Bake and Garnish: Place the chicken onto the prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking oil spray. bake the chicken cutlets in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then flip them and bake for 5-8 minutes more, or until golden and cooked through. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, and serve immediately with your favorite healthy side dishes!
Frequently asked questions
Use a food thermometer to check for doneness. It is my go-to. Once it reaches an internal temperature of 165F then it is ready. But to give you an idea of how long it takes when you bake at 350-400F. At 400F thinly sliced boneless chicken breasts should take no longer than 15-20 minutes. When baking at 350F, it may need 25-30 minutes depending on how thin the chicken is sliced.
If you are trying to keep your chicken warm and crispy just for a few hours until ready to serve, simply place then on a cooling rack without parchment paper and keep it in the bottom of the warm oven. For actually fried chicken, drain as much oil as you can from the chicken before you place it on the rack to cool off or keep warm in the oven.
Allow crispy chicken to cool off completely on a cooling rack before placing it in an airtight container and storing it in the fridge for 3-5 days. If the chicken is fried and oil, try to drain as much oil from it as you can before cooling it off and storing it in the fridge.
Sure. If you use seasoned breadcrumbs, then use half of the amount of the seasonings I used, or skip them altogether. But adding a touch of paprika and garlic powder will be a bonus.
Yes. If you want to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts you can. Just know that the nutritional value will change. Also, they will need less time to cook because they are more thin.
What to serve it with
Serve them alongside some roasted veggies to keep it as light as possible. They will taste great with some roasted potatoes, some salad, or creamy or tomato-based pasta.
Some side options to consider:
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Crispy Baked Chicken Cutlets
Video
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds Chicken Breasts , skinless, boneless, (about 4)
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil, or avocado oil
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 tablespoons Milk, any milk
- ¾ Cup Panko bread crumbs , or italian style panko
- ¼ Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
- Avocado cooking oil spray
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Chopped Parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To prepare the cutlets, pound each of the 1.5 pounds Chicken Breasts to an even 1/4 inch thickness.
- Next, rub the chicken with 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, Sea salt and pepper, and 1 tablespoon Olive Oil. If time allows, marinate it for 1-2 hours. This will give you the most tender and moist chicken. (if time permits, prepare it ahead and marinate it overnight, but it is not necessary)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 Large Egg, 2 tablespoons Milk, a pinch of salt, and pepper.
- In a shallow dish, combine the 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder, and ¾ Cup Panko bread crumbs with ¼ Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese and 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika. Dip the chicken cutlets into the egg mixture, then dredge it into the panko mixture, lightly pressing to coat
- Place the chicken onto the prepared baking sheet and spray with Avocado cooking oil spray. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then flip the chicken cutlets and bake for 5-8 minutes more or until golden and cooked through.
- Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Fresh Chopped Parsley, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Depending on how thin you slice each chicken breast will determine how many strips per serving.
- Each serving will be one full chicken breast. Which should be sliced into 2-3 pieces.
- You can use seasoned panko breadcrumbs and skip the Italian seasoning
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
DAYUM. I mean for real. I used Progresso Italian breadcrumbs and pounded the chicken breasts to a little thicker than 1/4 inch so I baked them for 15 mins on one side and 8 on the other. I didn’t miss the fried-ness at all. I did still find the chicken a tiny bit dry – so maybe I overcooked it despite their thickness, or I wonder if brining would help (but I’m not sure if that would ruin the healthy nature of this meal). I ate one for dinner with the Trader Joe’s avocado tzatziki sauce + Jalapeño sauce for dinner!
Sounds delicious
I was looking for a different way to make Chicken Cutlets with out frying them, so I noticed this email came up on my IPad so I looked at the recipe and read the ingredients, I’m usually picking on certain things to eat and this recipe had everything I liked, so then I decided to give it a try. The only thing was I didn’t see I should’ve marinated the Chicken Breast for 1 hour to over night, and only had 1 hour to marinate the Chicken before I cooked it.
It was absolutely delicious and had a lot of wonderful flavor. Even my husband who usually doesn’t like Chicken Breast, said it was delicious.
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you loved it
Winner! Chicken came out moist, crispy and flavorful. I baked using the convection oven. I also made the seasonings for marinading the chicken into a blend, like a pesto, and spread it on the pounded chicken breasts. I let the marinating breasts sit in a pan on the counter. I have read, and found out, that cooking chicken when it’s cold produces dry chicken. So, the combo produced very nice results. The smoked paprika added so much flavor. Thanks. Rave reviews from my 11th grader!
So glad you loved it. Thanks for the feedback.
What do you usually serve this with? Excited to try it but would love some ideas from anyone who has made it what they served it with. Sauce? Don’t want to do Parmigan.
I have served it with a side of fettuccine alfredo and roasted broccoli
Tried today , thank you very much for excellent recipe.
Thanks. Glad you loved it.
Side of broccoli and rice.
I served this tonight with twice roasted potatoes in the air fryer and shaved brussel sprouts. We had baked potatoes the other night and there were two left over. I cut the baked potato into 1/4 inch slices, and sprayed with olive oil spray and a bit of garlic salt, then air fried them at 350 until they were brown, then turned over and did the same. My son loved them.
Yay. Perfect. Thanks for the feedback.
Hi I wanted to know can you cook this in the Air fryer and if so how high and how long do I leave it for. Thank you.
I would say air fry at 400F for 8-10 minutes. The time does vary based on the thickness of the chicken
This is the best recipe I’ve ever made of baked cutlets. Never going to Fry again. So moist and tasty. Cook exactly as directed and you won’t go wrong!
Was going to use as chicken parmigiana, but now wondering why I’d want to cover up this flavor!
Thanks for the amazing feedback. This is one of our favorite recipes!
I want to make this, but I’m confused. The bread crumbs in your photo do not look like panko, but Italian style bread crumbs. Also your recipe doesn’t call for mixing any herbs into the bread crumbs, but they are there in the photo?
Hi there. I fixed the ingredient to say you can use Italian Style Bread crumbs which is what I used. Either one would work.
I’m writing down this recipe and I don’t know what is pinko. Is it optional?
Sorry, that should be panko bread crumbs, fixing it now.
Do you spray the cooking oil spray directly onto the chicken???? Or just on the baking sheet. Thank you.
on the baking sheet. You could also spray on the chicken.
On the baking sheet? You said parchment paper. So you are spraying avocado oil directly on to the parchment paper?
Hi Steve. No, you will be spraying the chicken. We have a video uploaded you may find helpful.
My grandpa died from covid a couple months ago. After he died I stopped wanting to do anything for myself, let alone cook. Cooking this recipe was the first time I’d cooked since he passed. I’m really grateful to have had this experience. It was delicious and comforting.
Blessings.
I am so sorry, Charles. Glad you have found comfort in this recipe
So sorry to read about your grandpa. Prayers to you and your family.
Hi,
I made it tonight and it was amazing. Sooo yummy
I want to make it in big batch and freeze it. Is that possible? Can I prepare it with the spices, eggs and the breadcrumbs and before cooking it put it in the freezer and just defrost it and put it in the oven?
yes, you sure can! add parchment paper between each slice if you can
This recipe is sooooo good. I was looking for a new meal prep for this week and I wanted chicken cutlet, but I didn’t want to eat something fried. I loved this recipe soooo much!!!!!! I added more seasoning and parmesan cheese than instructed and let me tell you, yum!
That’s amazing. So glad you liked it.
Can I bread the chicken in the morning, store in fridge for the day and then cook in evening? Would the chicken still come out crispy? Or is it best to bread chicken right before baking?
Hi there. Yes you can certainly bread ahead and store in the fridge
Can I substitute Italian flavored breadcrumbs for the pinko?
Yes. That’s perfect!
Just made this for dinner….Perfect!
So glad you liked it
Baked on stone and came out perfect, thanks!
Glad you liked it.
When do you add the garlic powder?
Hi Cristina. Sorry, I just updated the recipe. I left out the garlic. It goes in with the panko and parmesan mixture.
This sounds excellent!!! Friends in for dinner Saturday….going to try…will let you know how it is received.