Cheesecake Factory's chicken romano is the perfect, crispy, and crunchy chicken cutlet recipe. If the thought of thinly sliced chicken coated in a perfectly seasoned parmesan panko crust has your mouth watering, then this chicken cutlet recipe is going to be one of your favorites!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Classic cutlet recipe: This chicken romano recipe also doubles as a go-to crispy chicken cutlet recipe that you will find yourself going back to over, and over again. These chicken cutlets are simple but oh-so versatile, and make a great base for classic chicken parmigiana.
Just like the restaurant version: Cheesecake factory recipes are always a hit, and rightfully so! This chicken romano recipe is just like the restaurant version, which means they will be an absolute hit, too!
Extra crunchy: You get all the crunch you're looking for in a solid chicken cutlet recipe, without any dry, tough chicken on the inside. The breading gets its flavor from pantry staples used in copycat cooking, not complicated ingredients.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken cutlets: It is very common to find chicken cutlets sold as is in most grocery stores. Chicken cutlets are cuts of chicken breasts that are much thinner than a full breast, making for quick cooking and a crispy texture.
- Panko breadcrumbs: Panko breadcrumbs are Japanese breadcrumbs. They are much crunchier than regular breadcrumbs, and add more texture to the coating.
- Plain breadcrumbs: I prefer using plain, unseasoned breadcrumbs. This will allow you to control the seasoning and salt on your own.
- Parmesan cheese: Fresh is best for this chicken coating. You can grate the parmesan cheese fresh from a wedge of cheese, or buy the pre-grated version in the deli section of your grocery store. Avoid using the shelf-stable parmesan for the best flavor.
- Neutral cooking oil: The ideal oil for frying is something that does not have an overpowering flavor, like olive oil. Canola, avocado, or vegetable oil work best.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
Substitutions
- Chicken breasts: You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat. Traditional chicken cutlets are made with white meat, though.
- Panko breadcrumbs: You can substitute with all breadcrumbs if you do not have panko.
- Plain breadcrumbs: If you only have seasoned breadcrumbs, you can use them. You will want to adjust the added seasonings and salt so you do not overpower the chicken cutlets.
- Parmesan cheese: Feel free to substitute with pecorino romano or asiago cheese.
Variations
- Air fryer: Instead of shallow frying in oil, you can make these crispy cutlets in the air fryer. Be sure to give them a generous spray of cooking oil spray so that they get a similar golden-brown color.
- Oven baked: If you prefer to bake these cutlets in the oven, I recommend doing so at 400°F. Place the breaded cutlets on a wire rack over a sheet pan so that heat can circulate the chicken cutlets.
- Chicken tenders: Use this same recipe on chicken tenders instead of whole chicken cutlets, for a fun twist on a kid favorite.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
Collecting all ingredients: This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Arrange the dredging stations: Add all-purpose flour to a small sheet tray, and whisk the eggs into another small sheet tray. Set aside.
Mix the Seasoned Breading
Add the panko, plain breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and dried spices to a medium-sized sheet tray. Mix to combine into a breading mixture.
Dredge the Chicken
Place the chicken cutlet into the sheet tray with flour. Dredge both sides so it is completely covered with flour, and shake the excess flour off.
Dip the Chicken in Eggs
Transfer the floured chicken cutlet to the sheet tray with the egg. Dip the chicken into the eggs on both sides.
Using tongs, let the excess egg drip off of the chicken.
Coat the Chicken in the Breading
Place the egg-coated chicken cutlet into the parmesan breading.
Using tongs, press the chicken cutlet into the breading on both sides so it completely sticks to the entire chicken piece.
Fry the Chicken Cutlets
Heat a 12" cast iron skillet over medium heat, with ½ - 1" of neutral cooking oil.
Once the oil is hot, place the chicken cutlets in the skillet 2 at a time. Cook the chicken cutlets until golden brown and crispy on both sides. This should take approximately 3-4 minutes on each side.
Drain the Chicken Cutlets
Once the chicken cutlets are cooked, drain on a wire rack over a sheet tray.
Sprinkle the hot chicken cutlets with a small pinch of salt immediately after removing them from the skillet.
Expert Tips
Whole chicken breasts: If you cannot find prepared chicken cutlets in your grocery store, you can make your own with whole chicken breasts. Split the chicken breasts in half by cutting them horizontally. You can also pound a chicken breast thinner with a meat mallet.
For the best breading: Let the breading sit on the chicken cutlets for 10-15 minutes before you fry them. This will help the breading stick to the chicken and prevent excess breading from falling off while you fry them.
Testing the oil: The oil is hot enough to fry in when you drop a small piece of breading into the oil, and it immediately starts bubbling.
Setting the dredging stations: If you do not have small sheet trays for dredging, you can use any shallow dish instead.
Make Ahead & Storage
- For the best results, I recommend making this chicken fresh.
- At most, the chicken can be breaded an hour or so before you are ready to start cooking.
- Store any leftover chicken in the fridge, in an airtight container for 1-2 days.
- I recommend reheating leftover chicken in the air fryer if you have one, as it will crisp the breading.
Serving Suggestions
- Side dishes: Chicken romano is usually served with pasta at The Cheesecake Factory, but the side dish options at home are endless. Some of my favorites include garlic butter roasted potatoes, sweet and spicy Longhorn-inspired brussels sprouts, or air fryer smashed potatoes.
- Salads: To balance out this crispy, crunchy chicken, serve it with an avocado kale salad, a classic salami chopped salad, or a wedge salad.
- Pasta: If you want to go the restaurant route, these crispy chicken cutlets go perfectly with Olive Garden's five-cheese ziti al forno, creamy lemon caper pasta, or homemade spaghetti with arrabiatta sauce. Cheesecake Factory pastas like their tomato basil pasta, roasted garlic farfalle, and spicy rigatoni vodka are also great options!
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Chicken Romano (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken cutlets
- ½ cup All purpose flour
- 2 large Eggs - whisked
- ½ cup Plain breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese - grated
- 2 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Dried parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon Black pepper
Instructions
- Add all-purpose flour to a small sheet tray, and whisk the eggs into another small sheet tray. Set aside.½ cup All purpose flour, 2 large Eggs
- Add the panko, plain breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and dried spices to a medium-sized sheet tray. Mix to combine into a breading mixture.½ cup Plain breadcrumbs, ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoon Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Dried parsley, 1 ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 ½ teaspoon Black pepper
- Place the chicken cutlet into the sheet tray with flour. Dredge both sides so it is completely covered with flour, and shake the excess flour off.6 Chicken cutlets
- Transfer the floured chicken cutlet to the sheet tray with the egg. Dip the chicken into the eggs on both sides. Using tongs, let the excess egg drip off of the chicken.
- Place the egg-coated chicken cutlet into the parmesan breading. Using tongs, press the chicken cutlet into the breading on both sides so it completely sticks to the entire chicken piece.
- Heat a 12" cast iron skillet over medium heat, with ½ - 1" of neutral cooking oil.
- Once the oil is hot, place the chicken cutlets in the skillet 2 at a time. Cook the chicken cutlets until golden brown and crispy on both sides. This should take approximately 3-4 minutes on each side.
- Once the chicken cutlets are cooked, drain on a wire rack over a sheet tray. Sprinkle the hot chicken cutlets with a small pinch of salt immediately after removing them from the skillet.
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