Chicken Cutlets - Golden and crispy on the outside, tender, juicy, and flavorful on the inside, this recipe for chicken cutlets is a quick and easy way to get dinner on the table!
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This is the simple chicken cutlet recipe you’ve been waiting for! It requires no pounding the chicken breasts and no dredging in breadcrumbs. It’s actually more like a fritter and it’s super easy to make, especially when you’re using leftover or rotisserie chicken.
It’s made with diced cooked chicken coated in a light and fluffy egg mixture then pan-fried in batches, a spoonful at a time. They’re fried until crispy and golden on the inside and completely delicious on the inside.
You’ll love how quick and easy these are to make and how well they go with almost anything!
What is a chicken cutlet?
In a nutshell, it’s a thin chicken breast. It’s when you take a thicker (or regular-sized chicken breast) and slice it in half horizontally to create two thinner pieces. Then, it gets pounded to ensure that the entire piece is of even thickness.
The pounding helps to tenderize the meat and because they are so thin, they cook rather quickly.
In our case, we’re not using thin chicken breast, we’re using diced, boiled chicken breast (or leftover cooked chicken) which saves us some time and effort!
And because this is an easy chicken cutlet recipe no breadcrumbs recipe, instead we’re using a batter for frying, you still get that same fabulous crispy texture you would with the original recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Great texture - You’ll see that it’s possible to have a fabulous crispy coating without breadcrumbs! The flour, baking powder, egg whites, and egg yolks do a great job of forming a golden crispy coating without them.
- A few simple ingredients - These are made with just 7 simple ingredients and the oil for frying. You probably have everything you need on hand.
- Great for using leftovers - Use leftover chicken from dinner or leftover Thanksgiving turkey! I make these quite often when we want to do something a little out of the ordinary with our leftovers.
Ingredients for Chicken Cutlets
- Flour: The main component of the crispy outer crust. I use all-purpose flour for this.
- Baking powder: When added to the mixture, baking powder helps to light up the flour coating so it isn’t too dense and stays light and crisp once the chicken is fried.
- Cooked chicken: I use chicken tenders and then boil them as the first step in this recipe, however, feel free to use pre-cooked chicken.
- Milk: This is needed to create a batter from the flour. Use any kind of milk you prefer.
- Eggs: This helps to bind the batter. You’ll also separate the egg whites from the egg yolks and whip the whites. Folding in the whites separately also helps to make the coating light and airy.
- Sea salt: For flavor.
- Green onions: Chopped green onions in your chicken cutlets are optional.
- Oil: For frying. Use any neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point.
How to Make Chicken Cutlets
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add chicken breasts/tenders and cook for 10 minutes. Once they are cooked, transfer them to a cutting board and allow them to cool. Cut them into cubes.
Step 2: Crack and separate your eggs into two separate bowls. One for the egg yolks and the other for the egg whites. Use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites for 3-5 minutes until they’ve got stiff peaks.
Step 3: Whisk the egg yolks for about 3-5 minutes or until pale color. Do it in this order so that you don’t get any yolks in the egg whites.
Step 4: Grab your flour and your baking powder and sift them both into the egg yolk mixture. Add salt and stir well. Pour in the milk, and mix to combine.
Step 5: Carefully fold in your egg whites until combined. Do not overmix or you’ll lose that air you want to keep trapped.
Step 6: Add the chicken cubes and chopped green onion, if using, into the mix. Stir to combine. Let it sit while the oil gets hot.
Step 7: Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Scooping 1 Tablespoon of batter at a time, place each one in the oil. You should hear it sizzle! Make as many as can fit in your skillet at once, but make sure there is enough room between each one. Don’t overcrowd it.
Step 8: Fry until the chicken cutlets are golden on both sides and are cooked through. Use a slotted spoon or some tongs to transfer the chicken fritters to a paper towel-lined plate. Continue with the remaining batter and enjoy your freshly made chicken cutlets with a garnish of green onions!
What to Serve with Chicken Cutlets
As I mentioned earlier, these go great with so many things! Serve it on its own with a little dipping sauce. Something like sweet chili sauce, honey mustard, garlic aioli, ranch, or a dollop of sour cream. The options are endless!
If you’re serving it as a meal, complete it with a side like loaded mashed potatoes, an avocado salad, or the best Caesar salad recipe.
FAQs
When pan frying your cutlets it’s super important to make sure the oil gets hot BEFORE adding any of the batter. If it’s not hot enough, it’ll absorb too much of the oil as it waits for it to get hot.
Keep them stored in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Reheat them in the oven or the air fryer to get maintain their crispy texture.
More Appetizer Recipes
- Best Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
- Air Fryer Cheese Potato Balls
- Lazy Easy Meatball Recipe
- Sausage Wonton Cups
- Guacamole Recipe with Jalapeno
Chicken Cutlets with Green Onion
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups cooked chicken I used chicken tenders
- ¾ cups milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½-1 cup green onion chopped - optional
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Place chicken breast in boiling, salted water. Cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat. Remove chicken from the water and place it on cutting board to cool. Cut into small cubes.
- Separate egg yolks from whites. Using mixer whisk egg whites for about 3-5 minutes or until stiff peak. Whisk egg yolks for about 3-5 or until pale color.
- Shift flour with baking powder to egg yolk mixture. Add salt and give it a good mix. Add milk. Mix. Carefully fold in egg whites until combined.
- Add cubed chicken and chopped green onion. Mix.
- Pour vegetable oil into skillet and heat it on medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of batter and fry chicken cutlets until golden color on both side or until they are cooked thru.
- Place chicken cutlets on paper towel to get rid of extra oil. Serve with chopped green onion. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use leftover Chicken or Turkey after Thanksgiving to make these easy chicken cutlets.
- Use leftovers from store bough Rotisserie chicken, it will taste delicious in this recipe as well.
- Store the leftovers in the airtight container or zip bag, inside the fridge 1-3 days.
Nutrition
Did you liked Pan Fried Chicken Cutlets Recipe?
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Thank YOU for YOUR Comment, Share & Recipe Review!
Those look really good!! I love the addition of the green onions!! Thanks for Sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday!! Pinned! Hope you come back tomorrow!!
Nice and quick recipe !Fried Chicken Cutlets with Green Onion goes well with coriander and sweet chilly sauce
Thank you Alexander! I have never tried coriander and sweet chilly sauce before but I will give it a try next time we make Fried Chicken Cutlets with Green Onion! Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful week!
Delicious! I love little fritters with a salad like this for dinner and can definitely see myself making the recipe.
Thank you sweet Thalia, they are so worth making!