Chicken Milanese Salad with Arugula

These thin, crispy chicken Milanese cutlets are pan fried and served with a simple arugula and avocado salad. With parmesan shavings, cherry tomatoes and basil, this is a flavourful, fresh salad that’s perfect in the summer.

There’s nothing quite as nostalgic and comforting to me as chicken Milanese (except for maybe chicken marsala as well). Growing up, we had it often, served simply with lemon wedges for squeezing on top. The smell from pan frying the chicken always brings back memories of both my grandma and my mom cooking it. It remains one of my favourite meals and every time I make it, I think of them. We never had it with a salad like this, but I think if they were alive and here to see it, they’d love this version too. This crispy chicken Milanese salad with arugula is light and oh so satisfying to eat. I hope you love it too!

Ingredients

Here’s everything you’ll need to make this delicious crispy chicken Milanese salad at home.

• chicken breast
• all purpose flour
• eggs
• panko breadcrumbs
• Parmigiano Reggiano
• extra virgin olive oil
• lemon
• balsamic vinegar
• dijon mustard
• honey
• arugula (baby or regular)
• cherry tomatoes
• red onion
• avocado
• basil leaves

How to Make This Chicken Milanese Salad

Making this chicken Milanese salad all starts with making some delicious, crispy thin chicken cutlets first. Here’s a video showing how to do it.

Working with one chicken breast at a time, place it on a cutting board and cover with a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Use a meat mallet (or heavy bottomed pan) to pound to an even 1/4 inch thickness. Repeat with all pieces and season well with salt and pepper.

Place the flour in one large bowl, beat the eggs in a second large bowl and pour the panko and parmesan in a third large bowl and mix to combine.

Dip the flattened chicken into the flour and shake off any excess, being sure to cover all sides.

Transfer to the egg and coat on all sides.

Place the chicken into the panko mixture. Be sure to cover the chicken in the panko until it’s well coated.

Repeat with all pieces and set aside on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper (for easier clean up).

Heat 1/4 inch olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until hot. Test with a sprinkle of panko and if it sizzles, it’s hot enough.

Line another large baking sheet with parchment and place a wire rack over top. This will be used for the cooked chicken.

Carefully place a chicken cutlet into the pan by laying it away from you. Cook until golden brown on one side, about three to four minutes. Flip and cook for another three to four minutes, until cooked through. Remove and place on the wire rack and garnish with flaky salt. Repeat with the remaining chicken cutlets, adding more oil as needed.

How to Make the Salad and Assemble

1. In a medium sized bowl (or a jar), combine the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard and honey. Whisk or shake well. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Place the arugula in a large bowl along with the tomatoes and red onion. When ready to serve, drizzle about half to 3/4 of the dressing over top and toss to combine.
3. Add the avocado and more dressing if needed and toss gently.
4. Divide the salad into large pasta bowls and top with the shaved parmesan and basil. Place the sliced chicken on top and season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Tips for Making Chicken Milanese

• Halve the chicken breast and pound until VERY thin: use a sharp knife to cut the chicken in half horizontally to create two thinner pieces of chicken. And then pound using a meat mallet until VERY thin. Thinness matters here because it allows the chicken to cook evenly and quickly so it doesn’t dry out.
• Season well: be sure to season the chicken breast liberally with salt and pepper before dredging.
• Use panko: although panko is not traditional, I like using it here because it’s light, crispy and provides the perfect crunch. Use a gluten-free panko if needed.
• Be sure the pan/oil is hot: I like using a digital thermometer gun to check the temperature and start frying once it reaches about 350℉. If you don’t have a digital thermometer gun, test the oil by adding a small pinch of panko. It should sizzle nicely.
• Add oil as needed: as you’re cooking the chicken cutlets, add more oil as needed to be sure that the chicken cooks properly.
• Use a wire rack for cooling: to be sure that the chicken Milanese stays crispy, use a baking sheet with a wire rack placed over top for better air flow.
• Use tongs when dredging the chicken: tongs will help keep your hands from becoming battered themselves, and offers a cleaner alternative. If you want to use your hands, do your best to keep one hand for dry and one for wet.
• Grate your own parmesan: grating your own parmesan from a block is the best way to go here. I like using the finest side of the grater for the parmesan to create fluffy mounds of parmesan cheese for breading. For grating the parmesan to go on the salad, I like using a Y-peeler, like this one.

Substitutions & Serving Options

• Gluten-free: use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs and gluten-free all purpose flour.
• Parmesan: this will work with pecorino, or half pecorino, half parmesan if you prefer. To keep things traditional, I recommend sticking with half pecorino/half parmesan or all parmesan.
• More veggies: feel free to add different veggies to this chicken Milanese salad. Thinly shaved fennel, celery, radish or even carrots would all work as well.
• Add some lemon: if you love lemon, add some lemon zest into the breading mixture and squeeze with a little fresh lemon juice right before serving.

Storage and Prep

Store cooked leftover chicken cutlets in the fridge in a sealed container for up to three days.

Prep the salad ingredients and dressing ahead and store separately in containers. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Favourite Kitchen Products to Make This Recipe

TempPro TP30 Infrared Thermometer Gun

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Wildone Stainless Steel Baking Set [2 Sheets + 2 Racks]

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Meat Tenderizer Hammer with Comfortable-Grip Handle

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How to Use Up Leftovers?

If you have leftovers and want to switch things up, try any of the following:

• Chicken Milanese sliders: add sliced chicken to a slider bun with some tomato sauce and provolone or sliced mozzarella on top. Add some basil or arugula for some greens.
• Wrap: Add the salad ingredients and slices of chicken to a large tortilla and enjoy.
• Serve with pasta: if you’re craving something heartier, try serving sliced chicken Milanese with your favourite pasta dish. It would be delicious with this burst tomato and corn pasta in the summer!

More Classic (and not-so-classic) Italian Recipes to Try:

• Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms (lightened up)
• Chicken Marsala Meatballs with Polenta
• Italian Chopped Salad with Radicchio
• Instant Pot Italian Soup with Sausage and Lentils
• Burst Tomato and Corn Pasta with Stracciatella
• Creamy Zucchini Ricotta Pasta with Peas
• Creamy Polenta with the BEST Meatballs
• Whipped Ricotta Crostini with Mortadella
• Tuscan Sausage & Kale Soup with Cannellini Beans

I hope you love this chicken Milanese salad. If you make it please be sure to leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing from you! Enjoy 🙂

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