Milanesa is a popular South American dish, particularly in Argentina, where Marcelo’s family is from. A milanesa usually consists of a thin cutlet of beef or chicken, or sometimes eggplant, that is dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and fried until crispy. Its origins come from Italy, but the Argentinians have adapted it into their own style. One of Marcelo’s favorite dishes is a milanesa sandwich – consisting of a fried milanesa cutlet on French bread topped with lettuce, tomato, mustard, mayo, and of course, chimichurri. These sandwiches are especially popular in Marcelo’s family’s hometown of Tucuman. No matter how it’s prepared, it’s a quick and delicious dinner that we make several times a month. We typically opt for a chicken milanesa to keep things cheaper and slightly healthier.

Garlic and parsley are the key flavor components for this dish – we recommend plenty of both. You’ll want to pound your chicken breasts quite thin – to allow them to cook quickly and evenly. We recommend wrapping the chicken breast in plastic wrap and using some type of kitchen mallet, like this one, to do this.

Once they are breaded and seasoned, you’ll fry them up – be sure the oil is not too hot or they’ll burn quickly, or too cold, otherwise they’ll soak up all the oil without frying. I recommend testing the oil by tossing a little bit of the breading in and making sure it starts to sizzle before adding your milanesa.

Once the chicken milanesas are cooked, we let them sit a minute on a paper towel to absorb excess oil, and then usually serve them with a simple mixed green or Caesar salad for an easy meal.

Chicken Milanesa

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 4 Servings

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: South American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 4 Cloves garlic Minced
• 1/2 Cup Parlsey Finely Chopped
• 3 eggs whisked
• 2 Cups Unseasoned Breadcrumbs
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 Cup All-purpose flour
• 1/2 Cup Canola Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Method

 

1. Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Season generously with salt, pepper, garlic and parsley.
2. Cover with plastic wrap, and pound with a kitchen mallet until thin (about a quarter inch).
3. Arrange three wide bowls: One with flour, one with three eggs, and one with breadcrumbs, garlic powder, dried parsley, and salt and pepper.
4. Coat the chicken breasts lightly in flour.
5. Then, dip into egg mixture.
6. Next, dip into the seasoned breadcrumbs. Make sure to pat the breadcrumbs on well.
7. Heat a large skillet with the oil over medium heat. Fry each milanesa for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.