hot chicken milanese

Crispy, spicy hot chicken Milanese is delicious served with a simple salad, like this shaved fennel, radish, endive, and parsley salad tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, and Maldon sea salt.

hot chicken milanese recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

  • 2 tsp. cayenne pepper (adjust cautiously for more spice, dial it down or eliminate altogether for a non-spicy version)

  • 4 tsp. sweet paprika

  • 1 tsp. garlic powder

  • 1 TBS. salt plus extra for seasoning at end

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 eggs

  • 2 cups panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs

  • Peanut oil for frying (or canola, grapeseed, or other high-heat oil)

  • 2 lemons, halved

  • Salad for serving: Arugula and cherry tomatoes, or any greens and shaved vegetables, tossed with olive oil and lemon juice, or your choice of dressing.

Instructions:

  1. Flatten the chicken pieces: First pat them dry, then one at a time, place chicken thighs between two pieces of parchment paper on a cutting board. Using the flat side of a meat tenderizer, or a rolling pin, or bottom of a small pot, pound the chicken pieces until they are around 1/3” thick. It doesn’t have to be exact, just try to get it even and thin. No worries if you don’t have parchment paper—it just makes for neater work.

  2. In a small bowl, mix the spices and salt together. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with around half of this mixture on both sides. You should have an even and fairly generous (but not too heavy) distribution. Reserve the other half of the spice mix for the end.

  3. Set up a dredging station, which will have three steps: 1 plate or wide bowl for the flour, 1 bowl for the eggs, and 1 plate or wide bowl for the panko—plus a final tray, preferably with a rack, for the dredged chicken. Put the flour and panko on their separate plates, and beat the eggs in the bowl. Now dredge each seasoned piece. First, coat chicken completely with flour, then shake off any excess. Dip chicken pieces in the egg, then shake off as much as you can. Next, roll the chicken pieces in panko, pressing to coat every surface area with the crumbs. Repeat with all pieces, setting them on the tray at the end. When you’ve finished, put the tray with chicken in the refrigerator for a half hour to an hour to really set the panko—this will ensure your breading stays on during frying.

  4. You can prepare the salad, if serving, while the chicken sets. When ready to cook, heat a skillet over medium high heat, with oil in it. You are shallow frying, so you want around 1/4” or less of oil, enough to cover the bottom of the skillet but not immerse the chicken. When the oil begins to shimmer slightly, place the pieces gently in the skillet, not touching. Fry around 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crisp and cooked through. Move to a tray when done. Working quickly but carefully, spoon a few spoonfuls of hot oil into the bowl with the spices, and stir. Brush the hot oil onto the surface of the chicken, coating evenly. You can skip this step if you like your chicken milder, but either way sprinkle some salt on the chicken if you think it needs a bit more seasoning (taste a bit of the breading if you’re not sure). Serve with lemon halves and salad.