this easy chicken milanese is inspired by a favorite restaurant meal. done in under 30 minutes, it’s easy and oh-so delicious! drizzled with basil oil & served alongside a peppery arugula salad for a weeknight dish the whole household will love.

Say hello to our new favorite weeknight meal!

There is a restaurant in my hometown that serves a chicken milanese with arugula salad that I ALWAYS used to get in the summertime.

Every summer when I would go back home to my Mom’s house to visit, we’d go there and I’d order this and EVERY summer I’d say “I really need to try to recreate this dish at home” after eating it.

And I’m happy to say that I’ve finally gotten my act together enough to do it (only took 3 or 4 years 😂).

I pulled inspiration for this dish from everywhere and I’m happy to say that it all came together beautifully.

The salad they serve at the restaurant is just a basic arugula salad – but I wanted to jazz it up a little using inspiration from a basil oil recipe I found on NYTcooking.

You can also serve it up with mashed potatoes – I threw together some sour cream & chive mashed potatoes for Chad to eat with this since he’s not the biggest arugula fan and it was a hit!

For the chicken I drew inspiration and guidance from my fav chicken parm recipe and this NYTcooking chicken milanese recipe and I have to say, I might like it better than the original I was aiming for!

No matter how you choose to serve it up, I promise you it’ll be a dish you come back to time and time again!

easy chicken milanese with arugula salad

Author: Cait
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 2–4 servings 1x
Category: dinner

Description

Scale

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thick (*see note 1)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (more or less as needed depending on size of chicken breasts)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs (more or less as needed depending on size of chicken breasts)
1/3 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese (preferably hand shredded from a block, but you can use pre-shredded as well, just make sure it’s fine)
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup olive oil

For the Basil Oil:

2/3 cup packed basil leaves
1 large garlic clove, peeled
2/3 cup olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste

For the Salad:

2–3 large handfuls arugula
~10 red onion rings, roughly chopped
1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ball buratta cheese, torn into pieces (you can also use smaller fresh mozzarella balls such as ciliegine)
1/2 a ripe avocado, diced
Salt & pepper, to taste
Olive oil & balsamic vinegar or glaze

Instructions

For the Chicken:

Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thick then sprinkle generously with salt & pepper on each side. Let sit while you make the basil oil (see below).
In 3 large, shallow dishes, place flour in one, beaten eggs in another and breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan cheese in third.
Once you make the basil oil, add butter and oil to a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once butter is melted, dip chicken breasts, one at a time, first in the flour, shaking off the excess, then in the eggs, shaking off the excess, then in the breadcrumb/parmesan mixture (making sure they fully coat each side).
Add chicken to the pan and cook for 3-7 minutes per side (the crust should be a deep golden brown & crispy on both sides). Because every stove is different, I recommend checking the temperature with a meat thermometer. If it reads at least 165 degrees F, it’s done!
Place cooked chicken on a paper towel lined pan or plate. Serve with salad & basil oil for drizzling.

For the Basil Oil:

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Set aside.

For the Salad:

Place diced tomatoes and torn mozzarella in a bowl with about 1/3 of the basil oil. Set aside.
Meanwhile combine arugula, onions and avocado in a large bowl and toss gently with olive oil, balsamic, salt & pepper.
Once chicken has cooked, add the tomatoes & mozzarella and toss to combine.

Notes

I like to place my chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap before pounding with a non-spiked end of a meat tenderizer (but honestly any heavy object will do!)

Keywords: chicken, flour, eggs, breadcrumbs, parmesan, basil oil, arugula

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