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Easy Italian Breaded Chicken

Looking for an easy Italian Breaded Chicken recipe? You found it! I've made this easy recipe for breaded chicken for as long as I can remember and it is a favorite in our household. Made with seasoned bread crumbs, grated cheese, and chicken breast dipped in milk, really makes this the BEST breaded chicken you will ever eat!

I love creating delicious chicken recipes like our easy chicken pot pie, perfect roasted chicken with lemon & rosemary, and our crockpot barbecue chicken. They make meal planning fun and keep dinner rotations fresh! 

Italian Breaded Chicken Breast on baking tray

Today I will share my recipe for Easy Italian Breaded Chicken. This is a very liberal version of my Mother-in-law's recipe.  It is also a recipe that will be thrown together in the “Old-Style” tradition.

What do I mean by that? Well, I don't have exact measurements! I will do my best to be as close as possible when it comes to measurements found in our recipe card below. 

One thing I learned as a cook is you can add, omit, or change any ingredient in any recipe to whatever you want or that fits your taste.

Tools helpful for breaded chicken 

After making this recipe for breaded chicken breast for so many years, these few items really help make the prep process go so much faster, which is helpful if you are a little pressed for time to get a healthy dinner on the table quickly. 

  • Dipping Trays – also known as prep trays. These are helpful for keeping wet and dry ingredients separate during the breading process. 
  • Pie Plates -if you don't have prep trays, then two pie plates work just as good! In fact, this is exactly what I use to make this chicken recipe.
  • Fork– a simple dinner fork works great to dip and dredge raw chicken in liquid and crumb mixture keeping your hands clean!
  • Sheet Pan– baking sheet or cookie tray are perfect choices for baking breaded chicken because you can cook all the pieces evenly.
breaded chicken breast on baking sheet

Other easy recipes: Chicken Pot Pie with Crescent Roll Crust, Crockpot Chicken Chili, Best Buffalo Chicken Dip, Make Ahead Enchiladas, Pan Roasted Chicken & Potatoes, Chili Lime Chicken Thighs

Ingredients for the BEST Italian breaded chicken

What makes this particular recipe the BEST one for breaded chicken? The answer is simple- the ingredients! The brands I love and use are what make this chicken recipe taste so good.

I have my two favorite brands and they make all the difference.

  • Locatelli Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese– This is the only grated cheese I use in my recipes- even if a recipe calls for parmesan cheese, I use Ambriola's brand Locatelli exclusively. You can find this in the cheese section in the deli area of your local grocery store. It is THE BEST. 
  • 4C Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs– you may like another brand, but I have found the seasoning of 4C to be the best.
  • Milk– whole or skim, any milk will work. I use milk to make my breaded chicken because it helps to tenderize it a bit before dipping in the breadcrumb mixture.
  • Chicken breast– I normally use chicken breast that has been cut into cutlets. I have also used a package of fresh chicken tenders and had great results. 
  • Garlic powder and garlic salt– a must in any Italian dish if you ask me! 
  • Salt & pepper– the spice combo that goes in every recipe. 
  • Fresh parsley or dried, whatever you have on hand
  • Olive oil– just a little drizzle is all you will need to put on the baking sheet. 
Breaded Chicken Cutlets on baking tray

How to make easy Italian breaded chicken

Recipes with breaded chicken breast will normally have you dipping your chicken in an egg bath, however, I found that using milk instead helped to keep the chicken juicy and not dried out from baking.

  • First, you will want to preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
  • Pour about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil on the baking sheet and spread around the entire pan. You can use your fingers or pastry brush to spread the oil.
  • Now you want to prep your dipping trays or two pie plates, one with milk and the other with your breadcrumb mixture. 

For this baked chicken recipe, I follow this order of breading the chicken:

  1. Dip chicken breast in milk
  2. Then dip in breadcrumb mixture and pat breadcrumbs with the back of the spoon. Flip chicken over in the crumbs and pat breadcrumbs to stick. 
  3. Place breaded Italian chicken cutlets on the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven
  4. Bake chicken in the oven for 12 minutes, then turn chicken over and return to the oven. Cook for an additional 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 

FAQ's

What cut of chicken can you use for Italian breaded chicken

I love that this easy chicken recipe can use virtually any cut of chicken. I normally use boneless skinless chicken breast and slice it thin with my chef knife because that's how my family likes it but that is not to say I haven't used these options: 

  • Chicken Tenders– These can be found in the prepackaged chicken section of the store and is really convenient if you do not have the time to trim down chicken breasts into 1-inch tenders. Simply open the package and you are set to go. 
  • Chicken thighs– are a very economical solution and will provide a lot of protein with the darker meat. These are fantastic in our chili lime chicken thighs recipe!  
  • Chicken breast– boneless, skinless chicken breasts are what I typically cook with on the regular. To cut down on cooking time, you can trim to smaller pieces. 
Italian Breaded Chicken Breast on baking tray

Can You Freeze Breaded Chicken?

I get this question a lot when it comes to recipes and for this one especially. 

The short answer is yes, you can freeze this meal. Would I freeze it before baking? Probably not and here is why:

When prepping breaded chicken the bread crumb mixture will become soft. 

If you freeze before baking, the topping will become mushy and doesn't really bake in the same way as fresh prep. 

So, my suggestion is if you want to freeze breaded chicken, cook it first. Allow it to cool completely and then freeze in a Ziplock bag. 

Once frozen, you can take out as many servings as you desire and bake them in a 425-degree oven for about 18 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking. These are actually homemade frozen chicken fingers! 

This Italian breaded chicken recipe is great for a party, big dinner, or family picnic to enjoy and is great as leftovers in a sandwich or add to a salad.  If you're looking for another healthy spin, try this recipe for Keto bacon wrapped stuffed chicken!  

Easy Breaded Chicken Breast Recipe pin
Yield: 12

Easy Italian Breaded Chicken

Easy Italian breaded chicken recipe is made by dipping in milk, then bread crumb mixture and baked to perfection! Great as left overs too!

Easy Italian Breaded Chicken is a recipe you will keep handy for dinner or feed a crowd. Made with seasoned bread crumbs, grated cheese, and chicken breast dipped in milk, really makes this the BEST breaded chicken you will ever eat!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1-2 lb. Chicken breast pounded or cut thin (or you could get cutlets)
  • 1-2 cups seasoned bread crumbs, I use 4C Brand
  • 1/2-3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, I use Locatelli
  • 2 tsp garlic salt
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp parsley, dried
  • 1 cup milk for dipping chicken
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a cookie sheet and spread around the entire pan.
  2. Meanwhile, in two pie plates, add milk to one and bread crumb mixture to the other. Dip chicken in milk to coat all over. Repeat until all chicken pieces are coated.
  3. Place in breadcrumb mixture and coat well. Place on the oiled baking sheet.
  4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn once and cook for 15 additional minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 349Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 1015mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 34g

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Original post: 5/23/11

Updated post: 6/15/20

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OMG this looks delicious. I bet I could use crushed pork rinds or almond flour to make it keto!

Kelly Pugliano

Thursday 13th of August 2020

Absolutely!!! The secret is dipping in milk- that keeps everything tender when baking. Let me know if you try it with the rinds and how it turns out!

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