Crispy Garlic Breadcrumb Chicken

28 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 21
  • 4 star values: 6
  • 3 star values: 1
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0

While not identical to a pan-fried, breaded cutlet, if you want to eat tender, flavorful chicken with lots of crispy, crunchy bits, then this significantly less-messy method is for you. One of the keys to this technique is to use panko breadcrumbs, which are much larger and more jagged than regular, fine breadcrumbs. This method also allows us to introduce some additional flavor, and moisture, thanks to the 'glue' we use to attach the crumbs.

 By Chef John
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Ingredients

2
Original recipe yields 2 servings
The ingredient list now reflects the servings specified

For the Garlic Breadcrumbs:

For the 'Glue':

For the Optional Pan Sauce:

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

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  • Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt, black pepper, and cayenne.

  • Heat olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over high heat. Add chicken breasts. Sear, untouched, until bottoms release from the pan, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more.

  • Reduce heat to medium-low. Add butter and let melt. Add panko bread crumbs. Cook and stir until breadcrumbs start to turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn off heat and add parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Set breading aside.

  • Combine mayonnaise, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Spread 'glue' over the top and sides of the chicken breasts. Spoon over the the breadcrumb mixture. Use a spatula to transfer chicken breasts back to the skillet. Pour chicken broth around the chicken.

  • Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 10 to 12 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the chicken should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Transfer chicken to a plate and let rest while you make the pan sauce.

  • Pour chicken broth and lemon juice into the pan. Bring to a boil over high heat and add balsamic vinegar. Boil until sauce is reduced, about 2 minutes. Strain sauce and spoon around chicken.

Chef's Notes:

If you can't find panko, you can easily make you own breadcrumbs. Just pulse chunks of stale white bread in a food processor until coarsely ground, and then spread out on a baking sheet, and place in a 275 degree F (135 degree C) oven until they are dried and crispy.

Customize the 'glue' with any herbs or spices you like.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
565 calories; 36.8 g total fat; 184 mg cholesterol; 824 mg sodium. 9.8 g carbohydrates; 50.7 g protein; Full Nutrition

Popular in Chicken Breasts

Reviews (16)

Read All Reviews

Most helpful positive review

Art Scheel
Rating: 5 stars
02/19/2019
More effort involved than some meals but it's an OUTSTANDING meal! The family isn't such a fan of the pan sauce. It's overpowering except MAYBE as a dipping sauce. Read More
Helpful
(2)

Most helpful critical review

Anonymous
Rating: 3 stars
02/24/2019
Very tasty but my top burned Read More
28 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 21
  • 4 star values: 6
  • 3 star values: 1
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
Dark Lord of the Pan
Rating: 4 stars
11/26/2018
I made this as a dinner to take to my fiancée at work. I was a little worried about the crusty bread crumb top getting soggy in transport since I had to cover it but that didn t turn out to be a problem at all. The bread crumbs stayed nice and crisp and had all of that awesome flavor packed in. The only problem I ran into was that the chicken turned out to be a little tough but I think that was more of a problem with the quality of the chicken breast more so than the person preparing it. Why take responsibility when you really don t have to? I think next time I ll pound the chicken down a bit and hopefully that ll tenderize the meat a little. Overall it got rave reviews and my fiancée is still committed to me so I suppose this recipe was a win. Read More
Helpful
(5)
Art Scheel
Rating: 5 stars
02/19/2019
More effort involved than some meals but it's an OUTSTANDING meal! The family isn't such a fan of the pan sauce. It's overpowering except MAYBE as a dipping sauce. Read More
Helpful
(2)
kellykelly
Rating: 5 stars
02/19/2019
This was delicious! I followed the recipe as written except for doubling it to serve 4 people and adding garlic powder to the seasoning for the chicken. The breadcrumbs are really the star of this dish because they taste great (the cheese gives them a lot of flavor) and they add wonderful texture. I forgot to double the sauce recipe so there was only a little bit for each cutlet but it was still quite tasty and I'm sure it would be even better with the full amount. This is a great quick dish. Read More
Helpful
(2)
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Kathy Williams Diaz
Rating: 5 stars
02/24/2019
This recipe was very good! I will be making it again spouse loved it. The only thing I would do differently is maybe not so much garlic. Now garlic cloves as we all know come in all different sizes. I probably chose too large of cloves. Next time I ll be a little more attentive to the clove size I choose. Read More
Helpful
(2)
Ol Dad
Rating: 5 stars
02/19/2019
I love it when I happen to have all the ingredients on hand! I did substitute cream of chicken for the first round of stock to bake it in as I wanted a thicker final sauce (and got it). Made a great sauce to pour over asparagus. Such a tasty dish! Highly recommended. Read More
Helpful
(2)
Linda E
Rating: 5 stars
02/19/2019
Absolutely delicious. The chicken was very juicy! Hard to believe it was from boneless skinless chicken breast. I would cut the l mon joyce down and add a bit more chicken broth in its lace as it was a bit too tangy. Read More
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(1)
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ron adkins
Rating: 5 stars
02/28/2019
Definately will make again! Read More
Helpful
(1)
Matthew Jones
Rating: 5 stars
03/05/2019
Easy and a huge hit with the wife and all four boys. We did have to triple everything. Cook times also needed more like 7 min per side in skillet and 15 min in oven. Read More
Helpful
(1)
Linz03
Rating: 5 stars
02/23/2019
This was really flavorful! I used chicken cutlets instead of chicken breasts followed the cook times and the chicken was moist and cooked thoroughly....I think chicken breast would have needed more time which would have burnt the bread crumbs. This was really so good! Read More
Helpful
(1)
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