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This crispy fried chicken breast recipe is topped with arugula, shaved parmesan cheese, and a delicious lemon vinaigrette – one of the best chicken recipes!
We love to serve this fried chicken breast with roasted brussel sprouts or baked asparagus making it one of our go-to dinner ideas.
A New Favorite
Today’s Crispy Chicken with Arugula recipe is so tasty and 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.
- 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.
- DREDGE. 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. 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
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups baby arugula, loosely packed
- 4 tablespoons shaved parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
Lemon Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Chicken
- Marinate 4 thin raw chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag in buttermilk for 30-60 minutes.
- Create breading process with 3 separate shallow dishes or bowls. In the first dish, mix flour, half of the salt, garlic powder, and half of the pepper.
- In the second dish, mix egg and water.
- In the third dish, mix Panko, remaining salt, and remaining pepper.
- Coat chicken in flour mixture (first dish), dredge (completely coate) in egg mixture (second dish) then coat in panko (third dish).
- Heat a cast iron skillet (or another heavy-bottomed pan) 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.
Vinaigrette
- Make the 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!
Video
Notes
- Prepare the lemon vinaigrette up to 3 days ahead of time and keep it in a separate container in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Adapted from Cooking for Keeps.
This recipe is a must!! The lemon, arugula, and parm go so well together! Not to mention this is probably the best breaded chicken recipe I’ve ever used. I definitely will be making again and even playing around with different chicken cutlet toppings! I made the recipe as is and it was fantastic. Just put it over rice. Thanks for a great recipe!
This is one of my favorite go to dishes. So easy and full of flavor.
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!