What Are Chicken cutlets and How Can I Use Them?

Chicken cutlets is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 15 recipes to get you started.

Key Points

A chicken cutlet is a boneless breast sliced or pounded thin, about ¼ to ½ inch, for fast even cooking.
Saute 2 to 3 minutes per side, or bread and fry; the pan drippings make the sauce.
Pound to even thickness first so the thin edge does not dry before the thick part cooks.
Pull at 160°F (71°C); carryover brings them to a safe 165°F (74°C) without drying out.
Buy whole breasts and slice your own to save money and control thickness.

What are chicken cutlets?

A chicken cutlet is a boneless, skinless chicken breast that has been thinned out, either sliced horizontally into two flat pieces or pounded to an even thickness, usually about ¼ to ½ inch (6 to 12 mm). Thin and even is the whole idea.

Because the meat is so thin, it cooks in minutes and cooks through evenly, which makes cutlets the go-to cut for fast weeknight dinners and for breaded or pan-sauce dishes. You can buy them pre-cut or make your own from whole breasts.

Veal and pork cutlets work the same way, so chicken cutlets slot directly into Italian classics like piccata, parmesan, marsala, and saltimbocca that were built around thin, quick-cooking meat.

How to Cook Chicken Cutlets

The defining technique is the fast saute. Pat the cutlets dry and season them, then lay them in a hot pan with a little oil. Two to three minutes per side gives you a golden crust and a juicy center.

Chicken Piccata with Pasta & Mushrooms uses exactly this: sear the cutlets, pull them out, then build a lemon-caper sauce in the same pan.

Breading is the other big use. Dredge in flour, dip in beaten egg, then press into breadcrumbs and fry until crisp. That breaded cutlet is the base for chicken parmesan, and Buttermilk Chicken Fried Cutlets soaks them first for a craggy southern-style crust.

Pound them even before you start. A cutlet thick on one end and thin on the other cooks unevenly: the thin edge dries out while the thick part is still raw.

Lay the breast between two sheets of plastic and pound from the center outward with a flat mallet until uniform.

Cutlets also fold around a filling. Chicken Cordon Bleu rolls ham and cheese inside, and Chicken Saltimbocca presses prosciutto and sage onto the surface before searing.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Cutlets are a blank canvas, so the sauce does the talking. The pan you seared them in is full of browned bits, so deglaze it: lemon and capers for piccata, or marsala and mushrooms as in Chicken or Veal Marsala.

Bright, acidic sauces suit the lean meat best.

They pair naturally with quick vegetable sides and starches that catch sauce. Sauteéd Chicken Cutlets With Asparagus Spring Onion & Parsley Tarragon Gremolata plates them over spring vegetables, while pasta or rice soaks up a pan sauce.

The cardinal mistake is overcooking. A thin cutlet goes from juicy to dry in under a minute past doneness, because there is so little mass to hold moisture. Pull them at 160°F (71°C); carryover heat finishes them to a safe 165°F (74°C).

The second mistake is crowding the pan, which traps steam and leaves the cutlets pale and gray instead of browned. Cook in batches so each piece has room and the surface stays dry enough to sear.

Substitutes

Veal cutlets and thin pork cutlets are direct swaps, used the same way and cooked for the same short time. Turkey breast cutlets are leaner but interchangeable.

A whole chicken breast can stand in if you slice it horizontally and pound it flat yourself, which is exactly how cutlets are made. Thin-sliced boneless thighs work too, staying juicier though they take a minute longer.

For a breaded dish, a thin fish fillet such as sole takes the same flour-egg-crumb coating, though it is more delicate and needs a gentler flip.

Buying and Storing

You can buy cutlets labeled as such, or buy whole boneless breasts and cut your own, which is cheaper and lets you control the thickness. To slice your own, lay your hand flat on the breast and cut horizontally through the middle with a sharp knife.

Look for cutlets that are pinkish and firm, not gray or sitting in liquid. A faint fresh smell is normal; any sour or off odor means pass.

Keep raw cutlets cold and cook them within one to two days of purchase. Store them on the bottom shelf of the fridge so any drip cannot contaminate food below.

To freeze, wrap each cutlet individually or layer them with parchment so they do not fuse, then bag and use within nine months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, never on the counter. Their thinness makes them quick to overheat at the edges if you rush the thaw.