How to Flour Chicken Cutlets
on Nov 04, 2024, Updated Jan 21, 2025
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Thin chicken cutlets cook up so quickly, and dredging them in seasoned flour adds flavor to the chicken and the whole dish.
Thin chicken cutlets are a weeknight cook‘s savior, and giving them a quick coating of seasoned flour before cooking them elevates the dish. Floured chicken cutlets are so easy to prepare and cook quickly in a pan, with no oven time needed.
Cutlets are chicken breasts that are sliced or pounded (or both) to form thin, quick-cooking pieces of chicken breast. Many recipes call for dredging chicken in a seasoned flour mixture for a couple of great reasons. Coating cutlets in flour creates a nice golden crust, and the seasoned flour adds flavor to the chicken.
In turn, when the floured chicken is sautéed in butter or oil, it creates a fond on the bottom of the pan. A fond is the caramelized brown bits that stick to the bottom of the pan after something is sautéed in a bit of fat. The seasoned flour encourages a nice fond, and this fond will, in turn, flavor the dish. Even if you are just making a simple pan sauce after sautéing the food and adding a bit of liquid to the hot pan to deglaze it after you’ve finished cooking the chicken, the seasoned flour will contribute to the depth of flavor.
This method works with both thinner and thicker chicken cutlets, as well as chicken breasts, though they will take longer to cook through.
Table of Contents
How to Flour Chicken Cutlets: Thin chicken cutlets cook up so quickly, and dredging them in seasoned flour adds flavor to the chicken and the whole dish.
How to Slice Chicken Breasts into Cutlets
The easiest way to cut a thicker chicken breast into two thinner cutlets is to place the breast on a cutting board, then place your non-dominant hand on top of the chicken breast. Start at the thicker end and use a sharp chef’s knife to carefully and cleanly cut the breast in half horizontally.
Kitchen Smarts
If you place the chicken breasts in the freezer for 20 minutes, they will firm up a bit and be easier to slice.
Very thick chicken breasts might need to be cut into multiple cutlets. For very large chicken breasts, you might also want to cut them in half vertically first, separating the larger, thicker side of the breast from the thinner side. The thinner side can then be cut into two cutlets, while the thicker, more bulbous part of the breasts can be sliced into three cutlets.
Sometimes, you may want to pound the chicken breasts after slicing them horizontally to even out the thickness and make them even thinner and quicker to cook through.
How to Flour Chicken Cutlets
- Prepare the seasoned flour: Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Add the salt and pepper and any additional seasonings you like. Stir until everything is well blended.
- Coat the chicken: Dredge the chicken cutlets in the flour; press the cutlets into the flour to coat it thoroughly. Tongs can be helpful, or use your hands. Tap to remove any excess flour from the chicken.
Kitchen Smarts
Flour alone creates a lighter coating than breaded chicken, which also includes dredging the floured meat into bowls of eggs and breadcrumbs.
- Cook the chicken: Prepare the chicken (such as sautéing, browning, or frying) according to the recipe. Or heat the optional butter or olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté them as directed in the recipe below.
Tips for Cooking Chicken Cutlets
- If your cutlets are thin, it can be hard to get a nice browning on both sides without overcooking the chicken. But you don’t have to choose between a nice outer crust and overcooked chicken.
- Simply cook the chicken cutlets for longer on one side than the other. One side will get nicely browned, while the other will be cooked through, and the interior will remain juicy.
- If you are planning to make a pan sauce, make sure not to wash the pan — you don’t want to lose that flavorful fond (the brown bits on the bottom).
- I recommend serving the cooked cutlets with the more browned side up, which makes for a nicer presentation.
Floured Chicken Cutlets Recipes
Here are a few recipes in which you can use those seasoned flour chicken cutlets:
More Chicken Cooking Tips
- How to Pound Chicken Breasts
- How to Make a Perfect Roast Chicken
- How to Safely Thaw Frozen Chicken
- How Long to Marinate Chicken
- How to Cube Chicken Breast
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How to Flour Chicken Cutlets
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, paprika, onion powder, or garlic powder, or a combination (optional)
- 1 ½ pounds thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken cutlets (about 1/2-inch thick)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or unsalted butter (optional)
Instructions
- Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Add the salt and pepper, and any additional seasonings you like. Stir until everything is well blended.
- Dredge the chicken cutlets in the flour; press the cutlets into the flour to coat it thoroughly. Tongs can be helpful, or use your hands. Tap to remove any excess flour from the chicken. Prepare (such as sauteing, browning, or frying) according to the recipe.
- Or heat the optional butter or olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cooking in batches, saute the floured chicken cutlets for about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side, until nicely browned. Turn the cutlets with a fork or tongs, and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until the bottom is opaque and the chicken is cooked through. Serve with the browned side up.
- Make a pan sauce, if you wish.
