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This chicken caprese recipe is packed with flavor and is sure to please everyone at the table! The chicken cutlets are breaded with Italian breadcrumbs and pan-fried until crispy and golden brown. Then, they are topped with garlic-roasted tomatoes, creamy burrata cheese, fresh basil leaves, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. So easy to make and totally delicious!
I have a new cast iron skillet recipe to share with you all today!
It’s super easy to make, and the combination of flavors is out of this world. The chicken cutlets are lightly breaded with Italian breadcrumbs, giving them a crunchy texture. The garlic-roasted tomatoes add sweetness and acidity, while the creamy burrata cheese provides a delicious contrast to the chicken.
The whole dish is finished off with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and some fresh basil leaves, giving it even more flavor.
Let’s make it together!
Here’s everything you need to make this mouth-watering dinner recipe:
- Chicken breasts
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Italian panko breadcrumbs
- Cherry tomatoes
- Fresh basil
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- Kosher salt
- Dry white wine
- Lemon juice (and zest)
- Burrata
- Balsamic glaze
- Frying oil
After you’ve shopped for all of your ingredients, follow these simple steps to make crispy fried chicken.
How to prep chicken cutlets
To get that golden-brown chicken cutlet every time, I highly recommend taking a bit of time to get the chicken perfectly thin.
- Cut your chicken breast in half. Press your hand on chicken to secure/flatten the breast. Then take your sharp knife and cut through the middle.
- With a meat mallet/tenderizer, take the chicken cutlets and cover them with plastic sheeting before pounding each piece until it is uniformly thin—but be careful not to tear through.
- Sprinkle salt and black pepper over every cutlet once they are pounded.
Tip
If you don’t have a meat mallet or tenderizer, you can also use the bottom of a pan or rolling pin to flatten chicken cutlets.
Yes, chicken thighs make a great substitution in this chicken caprese recipe! Make sure to gran boneless, skinless chicken thighs. You should still pound them out to get them nice and thin for frying.
Yes, this chicken caprese recipe is really versatile. Feel free to swap out the chicken for veal cutlets. Even thin pork chops could work in this recipe.
After you’ve prepped the chicken cutlets, it’s time to start dredging!
Start out by setting up three bowls:
- All-purpose flour
- Beaten eggs
- Breadcrumb mixture
Tip
Setting up your chicken dredging station in this order helps to ensure that your chicken cutlets are evenly and nicely coated. Plus, it makes it so much easier on you!
Now that you have your bowls all set up, it’s time to start coating your chicken.
- Start by gently dipping each side of the chicken cutlet into the flour, until it is fully coated.
- Shake off any excess before moving on to coating both sides with egg wash and then breadcrumbs.
- Repeat this process for all remaining chicken pieces!
Tip
For best results, press lightly with your fingers as you coat to make sure it sticks, and the chicken is evenly coated.
Yes, this chicken caprese recipe can be made gluten-free. All you have to do is substitute the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 alternative, like Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour. You’ll also need to swap out the panko breadcrumbs for the gluten-free kind.
Feel free to get creative with this recipe! You can add different herbs and seasonings to the breadcrumb mixture, such as:
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Thyme
Tip
If you want extra crunchy chicken cutlets, try adding some grated Parmesan cheese to your breadcrumb mixture.
Once your chicken cutlets are all coated, it’s time to fry them!
- For a delicious fried cutlet, heat up half an inch of oil in a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat until it reaches 325°F.
- Use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil, or simply add a bit of the chicken to the oil. If it starts bubbling and sizzling, then you’re good to go!
- Carefully place the cutlets into the hot oil one at a time (depending on their size).
- Fry each side for two to three minutes until they become golden brown, and then flip away from you to avoid any splashes.
- Once done, remove them and put them on paper towels so that excess oil can drain off.
- Repeat until you’ve fried up all of the chicken.
Tip
Don’t overcrowd the chicken cutlets while frying. You don’t want them to stick together and make a mess! It also helps the chicken to cook thoroughly and get crispy.
Due to the high heat involved in frying, I do not use extra virgin olive oil to fry due to its low smoke point. You can use any high smoke point oil. My favorites are canola oil and avocado oil.
If your oil is getting too hot and the breadcrumbs start to brown too quickly or burn, lower the heat. If necessary, you can add more oil for additional cutlets if it is getting too low.
You will need to allow the oil to come back up to temperature before continuing to fry.
Yes, absolutely! Preheat your air fryer to 375°F and then spray the chicken cutlets lightly with cooking oil. Cook for eight minutes, flipping halfway through.
The chicken should be nice and crispy when done!
Yup. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with foil. Place chicken cutlets on the baking sheet and spray lightly with cooking oil. Bake chicken cutlets for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
The chicken will come out crispy and delicious!
While frying up the chicken, now is the perfect time to make the tomato caprese topping.
- In a cast iron over medium heat, add the olive oil and cherry tomatoes. DON’T touch them for about 2 minutes.
- Let them cook for a few more minutes until the outsides are charred/blistered.
- Next, sauté the garlic and salt in the pan for a minute until it’s fragrant. Pour 1/4 cup of wine into the mix to deglaze over low heat – let it reduce by half within 2-3 minutes.
- When it’s done reducing, remove from heat and set to the side.
- In the same bowl, add the chopped basil leaves and lemon juice. Mix everything together.
When you’re ready to serve, start by arranging the chicken cutlets on a plate. Next, spoon over your blistered tomato basil and torn-up burrata cheese.
To bring out that delicious flavor even more, sprinkle freshly grated lemon zest and finish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze for an extra burst of sweetness.
Tip
For optimal crispiness on the chicken cutlets, wait until serving time before topping it off with tomatoes!
This dish is so savory and delicious, it’s hard to think of something that wouldn’t pair well with it.
My favorite side dish for chicken caprese is a light Brussels sprouts caesar salad with a homemade caesar dressing. Another great option are these garlic parmesan smashed potatoes. Red potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and topped with butter and garlic.
Looking for a classic side? You should make your favorite spaghetti. It pairs nicely with roasted tomatoes and creamy burrata cheese.
Don’t skimp out on the cast iron garlic butter dinner rolls!
How to store
This chicken caprese dish is great for meal prepping. Just store the chicken cutlets, tomato topping, and burrata cheese separately in airtight containers. That way, the breading on the chicken doesn’t get soggy.
When you’re ready to eat, just warm everything up and assemble the chicken caprese onto a plate.
How to reheat
Preheat oven to 350°F and cook the chicken cutlets for 10 minutes or until warmed through.
You can reheat the tomatoes in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Love chicken? Try out these other recipes:
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Crispy Chicken Caprese
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken breasts (pounded thin)
- 3 eggs (whisked)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups Italian panko breadcrumbs
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves (chiffonade cut)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 tsp lemon juice + 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 burrata (torn into pieces)
- 2 tbsp balsamic glaze
- Oil to shallow fry chicken cutlets
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Instructions
- Using a meat mallet/tenderizer, place chicken cutlet under a plastic sheet and pound the chicken uniformly thin without ripping through. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Repeat with all cutlets.
- Set up three bowls: one with the all purpose flour, one with beaten eggs, and one with the breadcrumb mixture. Place each side of the chicken cutlet into the flour, coating it entirely, give it a shake to allow any excess to fall. Next dip both sides into the egg wash, followed by into the bread crumbs. Gently press the breadcrumbs into the chicken and coat entirely. Repeat with each cutlet.
- In a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven, heat ½ inch of oil over medium high heat (see note) . The oil should be 325degrees F, once at temperature, carefully lay the cutlet inside. Depending on size you may need to do one at a time. Fry each side for 2-3 minutes until browned. Carefully flip away from you to avoid oil splashing. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate for excess oil to drain. Repeat.
- In a cast iron over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add in the cherry tomatoes and allow them to cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Push them around for an additional 3 minutes, until the outsides are charred/blistered. Next, add in the minced garlic and kosher salt, then sauté for an additional minute until the garlic is fragrant. Pour in the 1/4 cup of wine and allow the pan to deglaze for 2-3 minutes, the liquid should reduce by half. Remove from the heat and add to a bowl.
- In the bowl with the blistered cherry tomatoes, add in the chiffonade basil leaves, 1 tsp of lemon juice, and mix all together.
- To serve: place chicken cutlets down first, then spoon blistered tomato basil over the top. Add the torn mozzarella throughout, then top with lemon zest and balsamic drizzle. To keep chicken cutlets crispy, wait to top with the blistered tomatoes until you're ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
Shallow frying
- Due to the high heat involved in frying, I do not use extra virgin olive oil to fry due to its low smoke point. You can use any high smoke point oil.
- If your oil is getting too hot and the breadcrumbs start to brown too quickly or burn, lower the heat. If necessary you can add more oil for additional cutlets if it is getting too low. You will need to allow the oil to come back up to temperature before continuing to fry.
Air Frying
- To air fry your chicken: Preheat your air fryer to 375°F and then spray the chicken cutlets lightly with cooking oil. Cook for eight minutes, flipping halfway through. The chicken should be nice and crispy when done! Internal temperature should be 165°F.
Baking
- To bake your chicken in the oven: Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with foil. Place chicken cutlets on the baking sheet and spray lightly with cooking oil. Bake chicken cutlets for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Internal temperature should be 165°F.
Storing and reheating
- If making in advance, keep the tomatoes and burrata separated from the chicken so the breading does not get soggy.
- To reheat: preheat oven to 350F and cook the chicken cutlets for 10 minutes or until warmed through. You can reheat the tomatoes in the microwave for 30 seconds.
