Crispy fried chicken breast topped with arugula, shaved parmesan cheese, and a delicious lemon vinaigrette – one of the best chicken recipes!
We LOVE chicken in our home, which means we are always making it and looking for more chicken recipes. This fried chicken breast has become a favorite and is simple, crispy and delicious! We love to serve it with roasted brussel sprouts or baked asparagus making it one of our go-to dinner ideas.
A New Favorite
Not too long ago, I shared a crazy simple Pesto Chicken dish. Today’s Crispy Chicken with Arugula recipe is just as tasty, and just as simple! It might even be my new favorite dinner recipe!
The chicken breast is SO flavorful, and when you add some delicious salad with shaved parmesan and a lemon vinaigrette, it’s irresistible.
The breading process can take some time, but it’s what makes it soooo good, so be sure to follow the steps in order, and you’ll have a beautiful piece of crispy chicken.
I’m usually not a fan of arugula by itself. It has a really pungent flavor, and typically it’s mixed in with other greens. But in this case, it compliments the flavor of the chicken and the lemon vinaigrette perfectly!
how to fry chicken breast
MARINATE. Place the raw chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag with buttermilk for 30-60 minutes.
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand you can DIY some of your own: simply start with a tablespoon of white vinegar, or lemon juice and then add enough milk to make it total a cup. Stir the mixture and let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
BREAD. Create breading process with 3 separate shallow dishes or bowls. In the first dish, mix flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, and ½ tsp pepper. In the second dish, mix egg and 1 TB water. And in the third dish, mix Panko, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper.
Coat chicken in flour (first dish), dredge in egg mixture (second dish) then coat in panko (third dish). TIP: Dredge means to completely coat the chicken in the ingredient so it sticks effectively and ensures an even cook. Repeat with each chicken breast and place on a baking sheet.
FRY. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt butter and olive oil. You should use around ⅛-1 inch of oil on the bottom of the pan. Pan frying chicken doesn’t require your chicken to be completely submerged in oil, but rather enough to cover the pan.
Place 2 chicken breasts in the pan and brown (about three minutes on each side). continue cooking until chicken is cooked all the way through. Repeat with the last two chicken breasts. Place on paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.
DRESSING. Make dressing by whisking lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Lightly coat arugula with lemon vinaigrette and place a pile on top of each breast. Top with shaved parmesan and serve warm. ENJOY!
Alternatives to frying
Can the chicken be made in an air fryer? In the oven? If you would like to cook this in the air fryer, you can preheat it to 390 degrees and allow the chicken to cook for 25 minutes or until it has reached an internal temperature of 165-170 degrees.
For making this in the oven, preheat the oven to 425 degrees and bake the chicken on a baking sheet for 30 minutes, flipping half way through. Or 400 degrees for 50 minutes. It really just depends on your oven, so watch it closely.
Keep leftovers Crispy
How do you reheat fried chicken/Keep it crispy? If you would like to freeze your chicken, you can store it in an air-tight container for 1-3 months and in the fridge for 1-3 days.
You can reheat fried chicken and keep it crispy by quickly re-frying it in a pan. This time, make sure you only let it cook for 2-3 minutes on each side and that the oil is not smoking when you place the chicken in the pan.
You will have to do this one or two chicken breasts at a time because if the pan is overcrowded the chicken will steam and it will get soggy rather than crispy.
This fried chicken is so good it tastes like it came straight from a fancy restaurant!! It would be great to eat any night, but it would also be the perfect dish when trying to pull out all the stops for friends or family. 😉
for more crispy chicken recipes, try:
Fried Chicken Breast Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 thin chicken breasts
- 1 pint buttermilk
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp pepper
- 4 cups baby arugula loosely packed
- 4 tbsp shaved parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
Lemon Vinagrette
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Marinate chicken in buttermilk in a Ziploc bag for 30-60 minutes.
- Create breading process with 3 separate shallow dishes or bowls. In the first dish, mix flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, and ½ tsp pepper. In the second dish, mix egg and 1 TB water. In the third dish, mix Panko, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper.
- Coat chicken in flour (first dish), dredge in egg mixture (second dish) then coat in panko (third dish). Repeat with each chicken breast and place on a baking sheet.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt butter and olive oil. Place 2 chicken breasts in the pan and brown (about three minutes on each side). continue cooking until chicken is cooked all the way through. Repeat with the last two chicken breasts. Place on paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.
- Make dressing by whisking lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Lightly coat arugula with lemon vinaigrette and scoop onto each breast. Top with shaved parmesan and serve warm. ENJOY!
Adapted from Cooking for Keeps.
Looks so crispy and delicious
Oh, it is!! I’d love for you try it & let me know what you think 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Okay so the parmesan is just for the top of the argula right? You don’t mix the parmesan and panko together right?
Correct. It’s just for topping the chicken, though you could add it in the mixture as well. Enjoy!
This crispy chicken is actually irresistible 🙂
I agree!! I’m glad you think so! Thank you so much!
I love simple chicken with great taste. Makes a nice dinner.
Simple, crispy, & a family favorite! We love the simplicity, but how tasty this chicken is.
Basically delicious fried chicken with a side salad. They pair really well together and both taste great!
Such a simple recipe to throw together and always a hit with every family member! We make this recipe quite often!
Mt family loves this recipe! It is very family-friendly! My kids love it, since it is simple, but tasty!
This chicken was delicious! I added dijon and honey to the vinaigrette. Next time, I would serve the salad on the side as the heat from the chicken warmed the salad.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! The addition of dijon and honey to the vinaigrette sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Definitely recommend putting the lid on to make sure the middle gets cooked through. Also needs to be cooked longer than 3 mins per side. Super thin breasts cooked fine but slightly larger ones needed more time.
Thanks for the feedback! And for giving the recipe a try!
My family LOVED this recipe. I made a LOT of chicken and I felt like I kept changing the olive oil. Can vegetable oil be used instead?
Absolutely!
This is one of my favorite go to dishes. So easy and full of flavor.