Romano Crusted Chicken is basically a juicy chicken cutlet with a crispy cheese crust. Pair it with pasta, a salad, or garlicky mashed potatoes for a truly tasty dinner.
This copycat Cheesecake Factory recipe is so good. Don't forget to sprinkle the chicken with more romano cheese and parsley once it's done cooking. It makes it that much better!
You can pan-fry it for a crispy golden brown crust or air fry it for a slightly healthier and easier version.
Why you need to make this Crusted Chicken Romano
- Crispy cheese-covered chicken
- This is pretty easy (once you have the breading station in place)
- You're only 40 minutes away from a big old bowl of comfort
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🧀 Ingredients / Substitutions
Chicken Cutlets: Chicken cutlets are thinly sliced chicken breasts. You can find them near the chicken breast in the grocery store. You can also cut your chicken breast in half (pound them until they are ¼" thick).
Flour: Soaks up the egg wash and helps to give the chicken a crunchy golden crust.
Eggs: Gives the romano and panko something to stick to.
Panko Breadcrumbs: It gives the chicken a crispy crust. Also, if the crust were 100% cheese, it would be tough to flip while cooking.
Pecorino Romano: Pecorino Romano is a hard, salty Italian cheese made with sheep's milk. It's one of my favorite cheeses and is 100% worth every penny (you can freeze any of the grated leftovers). If you can't find Pecorino Romano look for regular romano cheese, it's not as high in quality, but it is cheaper. If you can't find either, parmesan will work.
Salt & Pepper: Used to season the chicken and romano crust.
Neutral Oil: Cook the chicken in a neutral oil like vegetable oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, and sunflower oil.
Thin Spaghetti: Serve this meal with your favorite pasta shape. I used thin spaghetti in the photos.
Marinara Sauce: Use your favorite jar of marinara sauce to go along with the pasta. You can also use alfredo sauce!
Parsley: Used for garnish. It's not necessary, but it is pretty and adds more flavor!
🔪 How to Make Crusted Chicken Romano
1. Cook Pasta: Cook pasta as directed and set it aside.
2. Flour: While cooking pasta, season chicken with salt and pepper and coat it in flour.
3. Egg: Then dip the chicken in egg wash, and let the excess egg drip off.
4. Romano: Coat the chicken in the romano mixture. Set that piece of chicken aside and repeat with the other chicken cutlets.
5. Cook Chicken: Heat oil over medium heat. Place cutlets into the skillet. Don't overcrowd. Work in batches if needed. Cook cutlets on each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Serve: Serve the chicken with pasta and marinara. Garnish the plate with more pecorino and parsley.
🥡 How to Store
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
The easiest way to reheat the chicken is at 400F degrees for 10-15 minutes or in the air fryer using the reheat setting.
🥗 Sides
- Pasta
- Easy Roasted Asparagus & Brussel Sprouts
- Side Salad
- Easy Cheesy Broccoli & Potatoes
- Garlic bread
- Caprese Salad
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
🙋♀️ FAQ
It's a mixture of pecorino romano, panko breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper.
Serve it with pasta and marinara, just like Cheesecake Factory, or you can serve it with a salad or roasted veggies.
👩🍳Tips & Tricks
Don't forget to sprinkle the chicken with more romano cheese after it's done cooking!
You can also air fry these at 400F for 7-9 minutes, flipping halfway through. The crust is paler and less crispy, but the flavor is still there.
Crusted Chicken Romano (Pan-Fried or Air-Fried)
Ingredients
- ¾ pound Thin Spaghetti
- 5 chicken cutlets* thinly sliced chicken breast, you find them near the chicken breast
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2-6 tablespoons of neutral oil like vegetable oil or canola oil
- your favorite jar of marinara
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Cook your pasta as directed and set it aside.
- While your pasta is cooking, season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Set out three large plates and one bowl. On the first plate, add the flour. In the bowl, whisk together the egg and 2 tablespoons of water. On the second plate, mix together the pecorino Romano, panko, salt, and pepper. Leave the third plate empty. That is where you will put the coated chicken.
- Coat a piece of chicken in the flour, then dip in it the egg wash (let any excess drip off), then coat it in the romano mixture. Set that piece of chicken aside, and repeat with the other chicken cutlets.
- Add enough neutral oil to a large skillet to coat the bottom of it with a thin layer of oil. Heat up the oil over medium heat.
- Place cutlets into the skillet. Don’t overcrowd. Work in batches if needed. Cook cutlets on each side for 3-4 minutes. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 165F.
- Serve the chicken with pasta and marinara. Garnish the plate with more pecorino, and parsley.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!