This simple recipe for tomato basil Milanese swaps out the traditional veal for tender chicken and uses fresh summer cherry tomatoes and basil for a flavorful topping. A perfect delicious summertime supper!
I love this quick and easy recipe for chicken Milanese, first because of the quick and easy part, and second because it is one of my go-to summer chicken recipes that doesn’t involve the grill or making a salad.
Not that there is anything wrong with chicken salad or grilled chicken, mind you! But sometimes during the summer I get saladed-out, and sometimes I don’t have the heart to send the Southern husband out into the sweltering heat to stand over the sweltering grill.
So this recipe that requires less that 8 minutes on the stove and includes sweet summer tomatoes and cheery summer basil and delectable Parmesan cheese is the answer!
So what does Milanese mean, anyway?
Milanese sounds all elegant and potentially intimidating, but I am here to tell you that is is nothing more than a light golden breadcrumb coating on a piece of thin pounded chicken. Veal used to be the main component in this dish, but I’ve seen more and more versions of chicken Milanese popping up on menus.
Chicken is not only less expensive than veal, but I find that it is a lot easier to cook up as well. Pounded veal can dry out quickly if you don’t watch it like a hawk, but pounded chicken pretty reliably cooks up to tender deliciousness.
Here’s how you make tomato basil chicken Milanese!
Like I said, Milanese is fancy for a crispy bread coating, and you are going to start by pounding some chicken breasts until they are about 1/4 inch thick. If the pounding makes them super big, just cut them into whatever reasonable sized pieces look right to you.
Next you are going to season them up with a little salt and pepper, and then dunk them first into some beaten egg, then into some panko breadcrumbs, then into the grated Parmesan cheese. I like to line up three soup plates with these three dunking ingredients right next to my stovetop so when the last piece of chicken is coated they can go right into the frying pan.
Cook them up until they are golden and crispy, about 3-4 minutes per side, and while they are cooking you can whip up the delectable topping that sets this chicken Milanese apart in my book…halved cherry tomatoes tossed with fresh basil, a splash of olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
When the chicken is ready, simply divide it among plates, spoon the tomato topping over the chicken and scatter on a little more Parmesan cheese for good measure.
Now doesn’t that just look like summer on a plate? A warm weather winner, winner chicken dinner! What are your summertime chicken faves? Tell me in the comments!
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Tomato Basil Chicken Milanese
Prep Time: 10 minutes- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italiam
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Pin RecipeDescription
This simple recipe for tomato basil Milanese swaps out the traditional veal for tender chicken and uses fresh summer cherry tomatoes and basil for a flavorful topping.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to ¼ inch thickness
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 cup basil leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Season the chicken with a little salt and pepper.
- Put the flour in a shallow dish, the eggs in another shallow dish, and the panko crumbs in a third dish, and stir the parmesan cheese into the panko with a fork. Line them up right next to your stovetop.
- Put the butter and ¼ cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Dunk each cutlet first in flour, then in eggs, then in the panko cheese mixture. When they are all coated, place them in the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes per side until golden.
- While the chicken is cooking, put the tomatoes and the basil in a medium mixing bowl and stir together. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and stir again. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir once more.
- When the chicken is done, place one cutlet on each dinner plate and spoon the tomato mixture on top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and a grinding of black pepper and serve!
Notes
Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying!
Happy Sunday❣️
Just went to Farmers Market and have the most beautiful cherry tomatoes in a rainbow of colors!
Monday night dinner! Thanks…
While reading the recipe, one of your videos was playing for lemon artichoke chicken( yum)
You used a lid that looks great…wondering where you acquired it? Asking for a friend;)
★★★★★
I’m so excited for you to make this dinner – it’s my new chicken obsession! As for the lid, I wish I could tell you – my best guess is that it is a super old Le Creuset-type lid. Le Creuset is crazy expensive, but (or course!) Ebay has some great options if you are just looking for a lid! https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xle+crueset+dutch+oven+lid.TRS0&_nkw=le+crueset+dutch+oven+lid&_sacat=0
Summer on a plate! Love it! We didn’t get our garden in this year so I’ll have to hit the farmers market for some lovely tomatoes and basil. This will be great for something different. Of course, I will likely have to triple the recipe to make sure the teen girls have enough to eat. May have to employ the “oven fried” method in that case so I get to eat at the same time the family does. :)
Yes, those teenagers can get hungry – I remember those days! And yay for your local farmer’s market, I love ours SO much! :)