Breaded Chicken Breast - Pan Fried

This breaded chicken breasts are thin slices of chicken in a yogurt marinade and coated in breadcrumbs before being pan-fried until golden and crisp.

Table of Content

• About this recipe
• Ingredients and substitutes
• Step by step instructions
• Frequently asked questions
• You may also like
• Printable Recipe

About this recipe

This recipe is a simpler version of my chicken schnitzel or parmesan-crusted chicken. Chicken breast is all you need to make this dish because all the rest of the ingredients are pantry staples. The breadcrumb coating keeps the chicken tender and juicy.

The breaded chicken takes less than 30 minutes to make. Simultaneously, you can also make a side of mashed potatoes, roast potatoes or rice such as my turmeric rice or rice pilaf with fruit and nuts.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Chicken breast - You want something that cooks quickly and won't burn the breadcrumbs, so it has to be the chicken breast, not thighs. 
• Yogurt - I love using a yogurt marinade with egg. The yogurt tenderizes the chicken and keeps it moist.
• Mustard - Just a touch of mustard goes a long way with in adding flavor to the chicken.
• Herbs - I love chopping parsley really fine and adding it to my breadcrumbs for a nice refreshing flavor.

Step by step instructions

• Cut each chicken breast horizontally into two, so you have 8 slices. Use a mallet, meat tenderizer, or rolling pin to flatten the pieces
  Tip - you can also ask your butcher to butterfly and prepare these for you as well.
• Pat dry the chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate for a while

• In a bowl and whisk, combine egg, yogurt, mustard, salt, and pepper. Then, add the flour and combine well. Make sure there are no lumps.
  Tip- any lumps will prevent the mixture from sticking to the chicken and it will cook as lumps.
• Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and let marinate for 15 minutes to an hour.
  Tip - you can leave this to marinate for up to 2 hours.

• In a flat tray or plate, combine breadcrumb, sesame seeds, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Combine well.
  Tip - make sure you season well and combine well so you don't have uneven seasoning around the chicken
• Using a fork, pick a piece of chicken from the marinade and generously coat it with the breadcrumb mixture (see video).
  Tip - I like to use one hand for the wet chicken and the other for the dry breadcrumb mixture. This prevents the breadcrumbs from getting lump.

• Set aside while you do all the rest of the chicken pieces.
  Tip - you can prepare the coated chicken pieces and leave them in the fridge for up to 12 hours.

Pan-fry

• To a frying pan (preferably non-stick), add 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter. Place three to four chicken pieces (do not overcrowd the pan).
  Tip - the butter gives the breadcrumbs a nice golden color.
• Let cook on one side without touching for one minute on medium-high. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the chicken for 2 minutes more.
  Tip - avoid turning too often as this will prevent you from getting that beautiful golden color.

• Flip the chicken, add another tablespoon of butter or oil as necessary.
• Cook on the second side for one minute on medium-high. Then, lower the heat and cook for another minute on medium-low.
  Tip - The one-minute high-heat cooking is what makes the crust crispy. But, be careful not to burn it.
• Remove the chicken on a clean paper hand towel to absorb excess fat.
• Continue with the rest of the chicken pieces.
  Tip - it is best to clean the pan if you have any burnt breadcrumbs otherwise the burnt crumbs will stick to the next batch of chicken and burn some more

Breaded chicken breast make perfect freezer meals

I usually make more than what I need for one meal, so I can put the extra pieces in the freezer for busy days.

1. Cook them as we do above. When they are cold just place them in a ziplock bag. These make amazing sandwiches and wraps. If you have teenagers (who are always hungry) these are great to have on hand. Just thaw as many as you need in the microwave.
2. Freeze them uncooked as you see in the image below. All you do is place them uncooked in a ziplock bag, remove as much air, and lay them flat in the freezer until frozen. Once they are frozen you can stack them up and store away in the corner of the freezer until you need them.
   To re-use just thaw them in the fridge for a  couple of hours and cook them as we do below.  My kids love chicken schnitzel so I have these on hand for busy cake days and it's such a blessing.

Why pan-fried not baked?

Personally, I'm not a big fan of putting chicken breast in the oven. If you don't take them out at the right time they can get dry. I love cooking them with a little oil in the pan, which not just cooks them thru nicely and evenly, but also caramelizes them a bit on the outside giving it so much more flavor. If you follow my method as directed you will never ever have a dry chicken.

Frequently asked questions

You may also like

• Breaded Chicken Breast
• Oven-Baked Buttermilk Crispy Chicken
• Schnitzel - Breaded Chicken Breast
• Easy Chicken Wrap
• Easy Sheet Pan Chicken

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Printable Recipe