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Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Lemon Butter Sauce

Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Lemon Butter Sauce reads umami 7.6, richness 7.5 and salinity 5.4 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a American main, about 23 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 8.4 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 1.6 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 6.6 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.5 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 8.2 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 3.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.6 · Richness 7.5 · Salinity 5.4 · Citrus 5.2 · Sourness 4.6 · Allium 3.4 · Herbaceous 2.5 · Nutty 2.3 · Funk & Ferment 2.2 · Warm Spice 1.4 · Bitterness 1.4 · Sweetness 1.3 · Fruity 1.1 · Floral 0.8 · Heat 0.8 · Earthy 0.8

What's in it (14)

• boneless chicken — 907 g
• salt — 5 g
• black pepper — 3 g
• all-purpose flour — 91 g
• eggs — 200 g
• bread crumbs italian style — 237 g
• parmesan cheese — 57 g
• olive oil — 41 g
• unsalted butter — 82 g
• garlic — 9 g
• low-salt chicken broth — 118 g
• lemon juice — 59 g
• capers — 30 g
• parsley — 7 g

Time & effort: about 23 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 157.7 kcal, 19.2 g protein, 7.6 g fat, 11.1 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

1. Slice each chicken breast horizontally into two even cutlets (you'll have 8 pieces); place between sheets of plastic wrap and pound to an even 1/2-inch thickness with a meat mallet or heavy skillet. Season both sides with 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper.
2. Set up a breading station: put the flour in one shallow dish, the beaten eggs in a second, and the panko mixed with Parmesan in a third. Dredge each cutlet in flour, shaking off the excess, dip in egg, then press into the panko mixture to coat evenly.
3. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the butter foams. Add 4 of the cutlets and pan-fry until deeply golden on the first side, 3-4 minutes.
4. Flip and cook until golden on the second side and the internal temperature reaches 165°F, 3-4 minutes more. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and tent loosely with foil.
5. Wipe out the skillet, add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter, and pan-fry the remaining 4 cutlets the same way — golden on the first side, then flipped until golden and cooked through to 165°F, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to the same plate.
6. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic to the skillet, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds.
7. Pour in the chicken broth, lemon juice, and capers, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and simmer until reduced by about a third, 3-4 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter until the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened; stir in the parsley and season with the remaining salt to taste.
9. Return the cutlets to the skillet briefly to warm through and coat in the sauce, about 1 minute, then plate and spoon the extra sauce over top.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Chicken Francese — Italian-American
• Veal Piccata — Italian-American
• Skillet Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Pan Sauce — American
• Pork Tenderloin Saltimbocca — Italian-American
• Arroz Chaufa de Pollo — Peruvian

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.