Chicken hits the hot oil with a hiss and pop. As it sizzles and spits, your wrists twinge with anticipatory fear. But as the warm scent of crisping breadcrumbs fills the kitchen, any tension melts away. "A Tavola". With the flurry of scraping chairs and clattering plates and silverware, your family gathers around the table — dinner is served. Chicken Milanese is one of those cherished recipes that instantly transports you home — not just because of its crispy, savory perfection, but because of the warmth and togetherness it puts on the table.

As any Italian home cook will admit, the secret to the perfect Chicken Milanese isn't just in the thinly pounded chicken or the expertly-seasoned breadcrumbs — it is in the olive oil used for frying. When we cook Chicken Milanese, we reach for our Everyday Olive Oil. A heart-healthy and flavorful option, cooking with olive oil highlights the soulful qualities of this classic Italian recipe. It’s perfect for frying each cutlet to that crisp, golden finish while keeping it light and flavorful. Just be sure to monitor the temperature carefully, as you don't want the olive oil to go above 350°F.

This Chicken Milanese recipe offers more than a dinner. It's a tribute to everyday family rituals, to gathering with loved ones, and to meals made with love and simple, quality ingredients. Bring the magic of an Italian home cooked meal to your table tonight. Pair with a fresh, zesty salad. 

Everyday Chicken Milanese

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

▢ 4 chicken cutlets
▢ 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
▢ 1 tsp garlic powder
▢ 1 tsp Oregano Flowers
▢ 1 tsp Dried Basil 
▢ 1 tsp Sea Salt 
▢ freshly ground black pepper
▢ 1 cup all purpose flour
▢ 2 eggs
▢ 1 cup Everyday Olive Oil 

DIRECTIONS

1. Set out 2 rack-lined baking sheets, one for before frying, and one for after.
2. Place the chicken cutlets between two sheets of parchment paper and pound with a meat mallet until ¼ inch thick. 
3. In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, oregano flowers and basil. In a separate shallow dish, add the flour. And in a third dish, whisk the eggs with a splash of water.
4. Pat the chicken dry and season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.
5. Working one by one, dip a chicken cutlet into the flour, then dip it into the egg wash, and finally into the break crumb mixture. Place each breaded cutlet onto one of the rack-lined baking sheets. 
6. Place a large frying pan over medium heat with 1 cup of Everyday Olive oil. You want the oil to come up 1 inch or so as you'll be shallow frying the cutlets. If you need more than 1 cup, add more.
7. Heat the oil to 350°F (measure with a deep fry thermometer), and fry the cutlet 1 minute per side before transferring to the second rack-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the cutlets. Be sure to carefully manage the temperature, you don’t want the olive oil to smoke, so keep a close eye. 
8. Serve while hot with a zesty green salad. 
9. Mangiamo 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1) Can you use olive oil to fry? 

Yes! There is a lot of misunderstanding as to whether or not you can cook with extra virgin olive oil. Yes, olive oil does have a lower smoke point than other highly-processed seed oil and vegetable oils. If you are mindful of how hot you allow your olive oil to get, then cooking, shallow frying or pan frying with olive oil is completely fine. You want to make sure that it doesn't start to smoke. Olive oils have varying smoke points, but generally they 350°F is the lowest smoke point threshold. 

2) Is olive oil cooking oil? 

Yes! It has been used as a cooking oil for thousands of years in the Mediterranean basin. In fact, it's many health benefits and healthy fat content makes olive oil a great healthy cooking oil option. 

3) Is frying chicken in olive oil healthy? 

While consuming anything deep fried in oil in excess is not necessarily healthy, chicken fried in olive oil is a healthier option than chicken fried in highly processed seed oils or hydrogenated oils.