mum’s chicken cotoletti (schnitzel)
I’m obviously biased, but my mum makes the most delicious chicken cotoletti. Mum very rarely makes a small batch, she usually makes a whole heap and divides it up to give to me and my siblings to enjoy at home with our partners. The recipe isn’t difficult, but it can get a little messy so you might as well make a big batch.
These freeze beautifully, so you can prepare them and then pop them in a container in the freezer to cook on a busy weeknight. You have to give these a try this weekend!
recipe (serves 4-6)
ingredients
500g chicken breast
4 eggs
¼ cup milk
2 cups breadcrumbs
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Salt
method
1. Use a sharp knife to butterfly the chicken so it is a little thinner. You can cut the pieces in half to make the cotoletti smaller.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs with the milk and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
3. Use a meat mallet to tenderise both sides of each piece of chicken. After you have finished beating each piece, pop it into the egg mixture. Repeat for all the chicken. Set aside.
4. In a large shallow bowl, mix together both types of breadcrumbs, the parmesan and a sprinkle of salt.
5. Grab a piece of the egg coated chicken and put it into the breadcrumb mixture. Coat both sides and use your palm to press into the chicken to ensure the breadcrumbs adhere to it. Set aside and repeat for each piece of chicken.
6. To cook the cotoletti, you have two options.
Option 1 is to fry them – in a large frypan with high sides over high heat, add in a generous amount of olive oil (enough so you can’t see the bottom of the pan). Once the oil is hot, add in a couple of the cotoletti and cook on each side for a few minutes. Ensure the chicken is cooked before removing from the pan onto a paper towel lined plate to soak up excess oil.
Option 2 is to bake them – in a large non-stick baking tray, drizzle a couple of tbsp of olive oil. Put the chicken in the pan and then drizzle the top with a bit more olive oil. Bake in a 180C oven for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
That’s it! Your teen can enjoy them as is in their lunchbox (the way we used to do it when we were kids), or you can pop them into a roll or a wrap with some veggies and cheese!
Tip: When my nonna makes these, she adds some chopped up parsley to the breadcrumb mixture, which is super delicious!
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