Growing up, this crispy chicken escalope was a dish my dad always made for us. It’s made with thinly sliced chicken breasts, breaded and pan-fried until golden and crispy on the outside, but juicy on the inside. The best part? This breaded chicken breast recipes comes together in 30 minutes and uses just a few pantry ingredients. Loved by adults and kids, it’s a perfect weeknight dinner.

Crispy breaded chicken on a white tray with french fries and parsley, small grey bowl with pepper, clear glass water bottle, on a blue and white tiled background

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Escalope = Thin Crispy Chicken Pieces!

Chicken escalope (what we called this dish growing up) is just as common as chicken shawarma across the middle east, you’ll find it at many restaurants and my dad was the one always making it for us at home. The chicken breast is cut into two thinner pieces, which means they will cook faster and lose less moisture as they cook, resulting in a juicy fried escalope.

I always serve this dish with a side of fries; it’s just a classic combination that can’t be beat. I also love it with a light citrusy salad like the easy chopped Arabic salad, or a lemony malfouf (cabbage slaw) salad.

I did have a phase in my life where I thought dredging chicken was a chore, but when you prepare your dredging station, it really goes by so quickly. I blame my kids for making me think chicken dredging is now easy!

What You Need to Make Chicken Escalope

You’ll need full boneless chicken breast that is sliced lengthways into two pieces. If you find this difficult, there are many butchers or supermarkets that will sell them already sliced.

Ingredient shot for chicken escalope with chicken breast in a mint coloured bowl, a white bowl with flour, a white bowl with breadcrumbs, a small white bowl with salt and a metal measuring spoon, a small light grey bowl with paprika, onion powder and garlic powder, a small light grey bowl with black pepper, a small light grey bowl with dried parsley and 2 brown eggs on a blue and white patterned background

How to Dredge and Fry the Chicken

Start by preparing the dredging station. Mix the flour and seasoning in a shallow bowl. I recommend mixing the paprika, garlic powder and onion powder in the breadcrumbs instead of the flour because when I tested it with seasoned breadcrumbs, it yielded a better flavour since the breadcrumbs form the outer layer. The flour should still be seasoned with salt and pepper though.

Use a wide and shallow bowl that fits the chicken escalopes.

mint coloured bowl with flour, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder on a blue and white tiled background
Seasoned flour mixture in a mint bowl with a metal spoon on a blue and white tiled background

Whisk the eggs well, also in a wide and shallow bowl, and mix the breadcrumbs with the seasoning.

beaten eggs with a small whisk in a mint coloured bowl on a blue and white tiled background
seasoned breadcrumb mixture in a mint bowl on a blue and white tiled background

To cut the chicken into escalope pieces, place the chicken breast on a stable cutting board. Place your non-knife hand on top of the chicken, holding it down. Then, use a sharp chef’s knife to slice it horizontally, starting with the thicker end.

Make cuts all the way through until the chicken breast separates into two pieces.

chicken breasts on a beige cutting board with plastic wrap on top with a rolling pin with green handles on a white and blue tiled background
pounded chicken breasts with plastic wrap on top on a beige cutting board on a blue and white tiled background

Place plastic cover over the chicken, then pound them using a meat mallet, a heavy pan, or a rolling pin. The chicken breasts should be half of their initial thickness.

chicken breast dipped in flour mixture in a mint coloured bowl on a blue and white tiled background
flour dipped chicken breast dipped in beaten eggs in mint coloured bowl on a blue and white tiled background

Now it’s time to dredge; flour, eggs and then breadcrumbs. Make sure you coat both sides of the chicken piece.

flour and egg dipped chicken breast in breadcrumb mixture in a mint coloured bowl on a blue and white tiled background
breaded chicken breasts on a bronze coloured baking sheet on a blue and white tiled background

Once all the chicken escalopes are breaded, lay them on a large platter or sheet. Heat the oil to medium. Once the oil is hot, drop 2 to 3 chicken escalope pieces, depending on the size of your pan. Do not overcrowd the pan, and cook them for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Remove and set on a paper towel lined plate to absorb any extra oil.

breadcrumb coated chicken breasts being fried in oil in a light grey pan on a blue and white tiled background
golden fried breaded chicken breasts in oil in a light coloured frying pan on a blue and white tiled background

Serve! It’s as simple as that.

If you have any leftovers, I find that freezing them after frying in a freezer bag works very well. I thaw them by placing in the oven to heat through and crisp up for a few minutes.

Crispy breaded chicken breast on a white ridged plate with french fries and coleslaw garnished with parsley, grey bowl with pepper, 2 blue glasses, a knife with a wooden handle and. a fork and some breaded chicken and fries in a white tray in the corner

Sides to Serve With This Recipe

malfouf salad served in a green plate with lemons and cutlery

Malfouf Salad (Lebanese Cabbage Salad)
5 from 13 ratings
roasted potatoes in a serving platter with a dipping sauce

Crispy Roasted Potatoes (The Best!)
4.84 from 12 ratings
a finely chopped Arabic salad made up of cucumber, tomato, red pepper, red onions and parsley served in a shallow green bowl. A mason jar is blurred out in the foreground, and a basket of cucumbers is in the background.

Arabic Salad with Simple Dressing
4.93 from 14 ratings
batata harra (spicy potatoes) served in a copper dish garnished with parsley

Crispy & Golden Batata Harra (Arabic Potatoes)
5 from 11 ratings

If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!

Crispy breaded chicken on a white tray with french fries and parsley, small grey bowl with pepper, clear glass water bottle, on a blue and white tiled background
5 from 11 ratings

Crispy Breaded Chicken Escalope

Yield: 6 people
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Author: Amina Al-Saigh
Chicken Escalope is the perfect weeknight dinner. The chicken breasts are cut in half to create an "escalope", then pounded until thin and fried with a crispy lightly seasoned breadcrumb crust. This a dinner that will please all taste buds!
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Ingredients
 

For the chicken

  • 1 kilogram chicken breast, 4 large pieces
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the flour

  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 70 grams
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, optional

For the breadcrumbs

  • 1.5 cups breadcrumbs, 225 grams
  • 1.5 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Other ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions
 

To Prepare the Escalope Pieces:

  • chicken breasts split in half horizontally with a knife on a beige cutting board on a blue and white tiled background
    Place the chicken breast on a stable cutting board. Place your hand flat on top of the chicken breast, and start at the thicker end. Using a sharp chef's knife, start cutting the breast in half while holding the breast down using your palm. Make gentle cuts until you reach the thinner end. You will have 2 flat pieces per chicken breast, that are roughly the same size and thickness. These pieces are called escalopes.
  • pounded chicken breasts with plastic wrap on top on a beige cutting board on a blue and white tiled background
    Keep the escalope pieces on the cutting board and place them side by side. Cover them with a layer of plastic wrap, then pound them with a meat mallet, a heavy pan, or a rolling pin.
  • The escalope pieces should be about half the thickness that it was before pounding. Repeat with the other chicken breasts.
  • Season the chicken on each side with the salt and pepper.

To Prepare the Breading Station:

  • Seasoned flour mixture in a mint bowl with a metal spoon on a blue and white tiled background
    Combine the flour with the salt and pepper in a wide and shallow bowl that will fit the chicken escalope.
  • seasoned breadcrumb mixture in a mint bowl on a blue and white tiled background
    Combine the breadcrumbs with the salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder, in a wide shallow bowl. Mix to combine. You may also use any other seasoning that you like.
  • beaten eggs with a small whisk in a mint coloured bowl on a blue and white tiled background
    Whisk the eggs in a wide shallow bowl
  • Set up your dredging station with the chicken, the flour, the eggs and the breadcrumbs in a row.

To Dredge and Cook the Chicken:

  • flour and egg dipped chicken breast in breadcrumb mixture in a mint coloured bowl on a blue and white tiled background
    Dip each chicken piece in the flour and pat it down until well coated on both sides, then dip it into the eggs and flip it so both sides are dipped. Finally, place it in the breadcrumbs and coat with sides. Place the breaded escalope on a large sheet pan and repeat with the rest of the chicken pieces.
  • In a saute pan over medium low heat, heat up the oil until hot.
  • breadcrumb coated chicken breasts being fried in oil in a light grey pan on a blue and white tiled background
    Place the chicken escalope in the pan and fry on each side for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden. Depending on the size of your pan, fry the chicken in batches (I only fry 2 at a time) and avoid overcrowding the pan to maintain the oil temperature.
  • golden fried breaded chicken breasts in oil in a light coloured frying pan on a blue and white tiled background
    If the chicken is browning too fast, lower the heat. Its best to stick to a medium low temperature to ensure the chicken cooks before the breadcrumbs turn too dark.
  • Place the fried escalopes on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all the chicken is fried.
  • Crispy breaded chicken breast on a white ridged plate with french fries and coleslaw garnished with parsley, grey bowl with pepper, 2 blue glasses, a knife with a wooden handle and. a fork and some breaded chicken and fries in a white tray in the corner
    Serve with a side of fries and cabbage salad.

Notes

  • If you don’t know how to cut the breast into escalope pieces, some grocery stores or butchers sell them already cut and pounded. They will be more expensive though.
  • Feel free to use different seasoning in the breadcrumbs. This is the basic one I usually go for so that my kids can enjoy it. Otherwise, you can add dry herbs, Italian seasoning, or even some heat via cayenne pepper.
  • The fried escalopes are great for freezing. Refer to the storage instructions in the blog post to see how.
Serving: 1g, Calories: 530kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 43g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 189mg, Sodium: 1198mg, Potassium: 725mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 210IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 75mg, Iron: 3mg
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