Crispy Chicken Cutlets (Easy Southern Oven Baked Recipe)

This Crispy Chicken Cutlets recipe is a total winner! Crispy panko, parmesan cheese and moist buttermilk brined chicken come together perfectly in this oven baked recipe! Trust me when I say that you'll keep this easy chicken recipe on constant rotation after trying it! 

Why You'll Love it:

I love a good crispy chicken cutlet recipe but I hate frying hot oil in my house!

If you're like me, you'll love this easy oven baked crispy chicken cutlet recipe because it combines simplicity and rich flavors for a delightful meal. 

This simple recipe starts with boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin with a meat mallet to create super thin chicken breast cutlets. The chicken breasts are then brined in a flavorful buttermilk mixture with hot sauce and salt. 

After marinating, the cutlets are dipped in purpose flour before being coated in a flavorful breadcrumb mixture. The mixture includes seasoned panko breadcrumbs and a generous amount of parmesan cheese for an extra touch of flavor. 

The chicken cutlets are then placed on a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, ensuring they bake evenly and become perfectly golden brown.

Baking these cutlets on a wire rack allows the heat to circulate, resulting in crispy chicken cutlets without the need for frying. This method not only makes the cutlets healthier but also keeps your kitchen cleaner. 

Once baked, these crispy baked chicken cutlets are best served hot out of the oven.

 Whether you're making them for a weeknight dinner or a meal prep, this crispy chicken cutlets recipe is sure to become a family favorite. The combination of parmesan cheese and garlic powder with the crunchy texture from the panko breadcrumbs creates a mouthwatering dish that you'll be eager to make again and again.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Chicken Breast Cutlets: This crispy baked chicken recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts. You could also use chicken thighs but you will need to adjust cooking time.
• Buttermilk: In my opinion, the trick to getting the most tender white meat in this juicy chicken breast is by marinating it in buttermilk. If you don't have buttermilk, you could dip chicken in a regular egg wash by mixing together an egg mixture with milk, hot sauce or half and half.
• Hot Sauce: Even if you're not into spicy food, the hot sauce is a good idea because adds depth and flavor to these crispy chicken breasts. Trust me, you won't want to skip it!
• Seasoned Panko Breadcrumbs: Panko is a great option if you want a crispy texture. But you could also use regular bread crumbs or seasoned all purpose flour when making these oven-baked chicken cutlets.
• Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan Cheese not only adds great crunch and texture to this healthier fried chicken recipe, but it also adds great flavor. You could swap it for another aged cheese like asiago or pecorino. 
• Garlic Powder: Since I prefer seasoned panko over regular breadcrumbs, I don't go too heavy on the spices. But you could absolutely add more seasonings like onion powder, paprika, thyme or cayenne.
• Kosher Salt: I don't recommend using any other type of salt in place of kosher salt.  
• Olive Oil: A drizzle of olive oil works perfectly in this chicken cutlets recipe. But you could swap it for an olive oil spray or regular cooking spray if you wanted to.
• Optional Additions: If you're not using seasoned panko, try adding other spices. I recommend some black pepper, italian seasoning, lemon zest, fresh parsley, or your favorite all purpose seasoning salt.

Detailed Instructions

Making these crispy baked chicken cutlets is super easy! To be honest, I almost lost my mind when I finally perfected it because it was so simple!

To begin, start by mixing the wet ingredients together. Add buttermilk, hot sauce and salt together in a large bowl and mix.

Then use a meat mallet or meat tenderizer to pound out the boneless chicken breasts. If you didn't feel like pounding, you could also grab a sharp knife and a cutting board and prepare some thin-sliced chicken breasts.

Once prepared, add your sliced chicken breasts to the buttermilk mixture. Let them marinate in the fridge for at least an hour up to overnight. 

Once you're ready to cook, be sure to set your chicken out to loose its chill. I recommend letting it rest for about 30 minutes for it to come to room temperature. 

Meanwhile, it's time to preheat oven to 425F degrees.

While your oven is preheating, make the breadcrumb mixture. Combine the panko bread crumbs, the parmesan cheese, and garlic powder in a shallow bowl. 

When the oven is hot, remove each piece of chicken from brine and gently shake off to remove extra marinade.

Place one piece of chicken at a time in the panko bread crumb mixture and coat it evenly. I like to press the panko into the chicken to make sure that it's really on there!

Then grab a wire rack and place it on top of a sheet pan or rimmed baking sheet. You could also use a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil for easier cleanup.

Add the breaded chicken cutlets on top of the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.  Be sure that the pieces don’t crowd each other so the pieces can get evenly golden brown. 

Right before baking, drizzle each piece of chicken with a tiny bit of olive oil or a few squirts of cooking spray. Then place in the center rack of the preheated oven.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Since cooking time may vary, I recommend using a meat thermometer. Once the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165 degrees F, and the exterior is golden brown and crispy, it's ready. 

Remove the crispy oven baked delicious chicken from the oven. Then let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Place leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Tips & Tricks

1. One of the biggest tips is to use a wire rack on top of your baking sheet. This approach will help the chicken cook evenly on each side! Plus, you won't have to worry about flipping in it.
2. If you don't have a nonstick cooling rack, you can buy one on amazon for like $15. Or you could simply use some parchment paper. Then flip the chicken after 15 minutes... however it won't be as crispy. 
3. Be sure to let the chicken loose it's chill before baking. This process not only yields a crispier piece of chicken but it also makes it super tender without being rubbery.
4. If you don't have it, you can make buttermilk by combining whole milk with a splash of vinegar. This also applies for half n half or heavy creamy. It's a quick and easy substitute that works! 
5. You can also use this recipe to make air fryer chicken tenders. Just cut the whole chicken breasts into thin strips and follow the recipe as-is. I recommend doing only two pieces at a time so they don't steam the crispiness out of them! 

What to pair it with

Making an easy meal that the whole family will love out of this crispy chicken cutlet recipe is a breeze! Here are some of my favorite side dishes for busy weeknights.

• Easy Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit Sandwich
• Southern Tomato Gravy
• Meme's Southern Fried Corn
• Mama's Field Peas with Snaps
• Southern Cucumber Salad with Onion, Vinegar & Sugar
• Sauteed Cabbage with Onions

If you wanted an Italian chicken cutlets spin, I would melt some mozzarella over it and serve it with a big bowl of bucatini bolognese or even some pesto cavatappi.

If you want more easy chicken dinner recipes, check out my Huli Huli Chicken, BBQ Chicken Thighs, Harissa Chicken or my Thai Curry Marinated Chicken Thighs.

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