Fried Chicken Breast Recipe

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.

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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

1. MARINATE. Place the raw chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag with buttermilk for 30-60 minutes.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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:

• Skinny Chicken Parmesan
• Baked Chicken Fingers
• Parmesan Crusted Chicken
• Crispy Baked Ranch Chicken

5 from 17 votes

Fried Chicken Breast Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna

This crispy fried chicken breast recipe is topped with arugula, shaved parmesan cheese, and a delicious lemon vinaigrette!

Servings: 4

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Marinate: 30 minutes mins

Total: 45 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• meat thermometer
• meat mallet
• cast iron skillet

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 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

Make ahead of time. After breading, place the chicken on a baking sheet. Cover the sheet with plastic then refrigerate it for up to 4 hours before cooking. To freeze it, place the sheet in the freezer, once the chicken is solid, transfer them to a Freezer Ziploc and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before frying.

• Prepare the lemon vinaigrette up to 3 days ahead of time and keep it in a separate container in the fridge.

STORE. Place leftover chicken in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The arugula can be stored in a separate container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

REHEAT. For a crispy crust use one of the following methods:

Skillet. Add a bit of olive oil to a frying pan and let the chicken cook for a few minutes on each side, until warm throughout.

Oven. preheat the oven to 350°F, place the fried chicken on a baking sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated.

Airfryer. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F. Place the fried chicken in the air fryer basket and heat for about 3-4 minutes until it’s warm and crispy. 

Nutrition

Calories: 484kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 74mg, Sodium: 1520mg, Potassium: 305mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 950IU, Vitamin C: 5.9mg, Calcium: 254mg, Iron: 2.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Adapted from Cooking for Keeps.