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Baked Chicken Milanese is made with breaded chicken cutlets, baked in the oven topped with arugula, tomatoes and balsamic. This is my favorite restaurant dish, made healthier!
Chicken Milanese with Arugula and Tomatoes
Milanese is one of my favorite dishes, especially topped with arugula and tomatoes. I make a similar dish with fish in this Flounder Milanese recipe, and in this Japanese version of Togarashi Chicken.
This lightened up version is much more figure-friendly, and perfect to make with summer’s ripe tomatoes. You can use wheat or gluten free crumbs, I like to add grated Romano cheese to the crumbs for more flavor!
Baked Chicken Milanese with Arugula Salad and Tomatoes
Baked Chicken Milanese is made with breaded chicken cutlets, baked in the oven topped with arugula, tomatoes and balsamic. This is my favorite restaurant dish, made healthier!
Yield: servings
Serving Size: 3 oz chicken with salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 5 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 small red onion, sliced thin
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 6 cups baby arugula
For the chicken:
- 24 oz 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise
- 3/4 cup whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup grated Romano cheese, or parmesan
- 1 lemon, juice of
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- kosher salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- olive oil spray, I used my misto
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk olive oil and balsamic.
- Add tomatoes, basil and onions; season with salt and pepper. and toss.
- Set aside at least 10 minutes so the juices combine.
- Preheat oven to 450°.
- Place a large baking pan in the oven to get hot.
- Combine breadcrumbs and grated cheese in one bowl.
- In another bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper.
- Lightly pound chicken breasts into cutlets, you should have 6.
- Wash and dry cutlets well with paper towels; season with salt and pepper.
- Dip cutlets into lemon/oil mixture, then into breadcrumbs, pressing firmly to adhere.
- Remove the baking pan from the oven and spray with cooking spray.
- Place the chicken on the baking sheets and spray with olive oil spray on top.
- Bake chicken, turning once halfway through for about 15 minutes total, or until chicken is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and top with arugula and tomato salad on top.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Nutrition
Serving: 3 oz chicken with salad, Calories: 250 kcal, Carbohydrates: 17.4 g, Protein: 24.3 g, Fat: 8.5 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 54 mg, Sodium: 87.2 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 1.1 g
Delicious – I make the balsamic dressing all the time – my grandkids love it with carrots cucumbers and tomatoes
Perfect!
Easy, yummy, and low cal. Perfect for our rotation.
If you’re craving a more traditional fried chicken milanese, this isn’t going to hit the spot. But for what it is (a healthier version), it’s good enough. It’s also much easier and less messy to make than a fried version, so I’ll keep it in the rotation. The arugula salad recipe sucks, though. Next time I’ll stick with the traditional version that uses cherry tomatoes, no red onion, and a lemon dressing
This chicken Milanese is delicious! You can taste the lemon that the chicken gets dipped in before being breaded and the cheese mixed with the bread crumbs gave it a great flavor! I love arugula with tomato and red onion so the combination was great!
A lovely dish and one of our favorites
Tasty but…I can’t get the breadcrumb mix to completely adhere to the chicken. When I flip it, some comes off on the tongs or spatula each time. Any advice?
This was very easy to make. So very tasty too. Love that is is a healthy, clean and delicious dinner. Also WW friendly.
This looks wonderful! How long would you do it in the air fryer?
Great recipe. Nice for lunch or a light summer dinner. Will make again.
It was ok. I understand this is trying to be a “healthier” version but not using flour and egg and using the lemon oil mix instead adds too much moisture. I found the breadcrumbs became soggy. Also the balsamic vinegar is just too sweet. It clashes with recipe. Traditional Milanese uses red wine vinegar or lemon juice in the dressing (or a mix of the two). Balsamic is too sweet.
My family loved it!!!
This is family favorite that we have been making over and over again! Easy, tasty and healthy!
Easy and sooooo delicious!!!
Ive made this recipe and your chicken piccata hundreds of times and get nothing but raves!
Been making since 2008:) Again last night for 7 of us.Plates spotless:)
I made this tonight and it was amazing! Thank you so much.
By events that happened last night, I marinated the tomato mixture for 24 hours, which was a great accident.
This was amazing! I marinate the tomato mixture overnight by accident and would do it again. The arugula gave it a nice kick.
I love this recipe and I’ve made it many times. My only negative is that when I turn the chicken, miday, the breadcrumbs always come off. Any advice? Otherise I would have given it 5 stars!
Don’t turn it, there’s no need. Also this works better in the air fryer!
Same..been making it forever and I never turn if using airfryer.
Would you make these in the air fryer? Or is baking best? Looking forward to making these.
Air fryer would work!
This was absolutely delicious. Followed the recipe to the exact as I think that is how you need to rate a recipe. Both Hubbie and I thought this is worthy of feeding guests. Would definitely make again. Simple dressing but absolutely delicious.
I almost passed this recipe up b/c it seemed too easy to be delicious, I was very wrong. Easy and very tasty, whole family liked it
Another absolutely delicious recipe from Skinnytaste! So incredibly flavorful.
Made this tonight and thought it was outstanding.
This was amazing!!! Refreshing, filling with a punch of flavor!
I have to say this is my families absolute favorite recipe of yours. (Which is tough because everything I have made of yours is my favorite) My teenage daughter requests it all the time! Thank you!!! I’ve made it many times and it never disappoints!!
Aww, thanks Jen!
OMG this was so delicious and easy. With the mandatory “Safer at “Home” I’ve been looking through recipes that I saved and never tried to keep things fun. Came across this recipe and I had all the ingredients on hand. WOW, what a great find. This will be part of our regular rotation from now on.
Are you kidding me. 39 pages to print this out. Come on.
You have to press the “PRINT’ tab inside the recipe box. 1 page.
So, so good! I make thia for my son”s birthday every year (instead of going to Brio to pay a fortune for the same thing). Those not worried about calories and such put it on pasta and have the salad on the side, but everyone loves it!
Easy, tasty, and healthy — What’s not to like?
soooo good!!! YAY!!! Something to keep!
Hi! Have you ever prepared this in advance? Thanks.
No I usually cook and eat it.
I have made this at least 3 times now. It is a family favorite. Once the chicken is breaded I cook it in my air fryer and it’s perfect!
Thank you so much for your great recipes.
I’ve come back to this recipe many times. Modify it based on what I have on hand, cut it in half, eyeball measurements. Never disappointed!
I just have to say this is an amazing dish! Restaurant quality! My toddler even gobbled it up. Served with roast sweet potato, butternut squash and carrots. Also, the past couple weeks I’ve made the Salisbury meatballs, Korean grilled chicken, quick beef chili and the breaded pork chops. First time ever my three year old has ate all the meat on his plate! Thank you Gina!
Thank you! I am loving the variety and the ease of following your meal plans.
☺️
Thank you for this recipe. It was awesome and my husband could not believe it was a “skinny” recipe. I do think next time I will add some garlic to the breading But all in all. Great recipe. Oh I put my baking sheet in the oven then turned it on so it preheated and the chicken did sizzle when I placed it on the pan
Hi Gina,
Chicken Milanese is one of my favorite meals. This recipe is amazing! I cooked the chicken in the airfryer. Came out perfect! I also added a little very thinly sliced fennel because I like the crunch and flavor. I had this at a restaurant last week and I think yours is so much better. Thanks again for another fabulous recipe!! I pre-ordered the airfryer cookbook. Can’t wait!!! Any airfried calamari recipes??
How long did you cook it in the air fryer and what temp?
If you are using three 8oz chicken breast (cut in half) and the serving size is 6, shouldn’t one serving be 4oz?
Made this tonight fr my son’s birthday dinner to rave reviews. The women are all doing WW, but the mean just like to eat! So I served the salad as a separate course and had other options (Italian green beans, pasta, tomato sauce) so everyone could do their own thing.
EXCELLENT way to prepare the chicken. It was tender and crispy, and I can see adapting it to other dishes.
Delicious and easy! Has already become a staple in my house. My husband and 8 year olds love it too!
Question and I am new to this site – why did it say 4 WW points but when I put the stats into my WW app, it said 6 WW points? Was Freestyle a previous version of WW? Thanks!
Hi Lucy. The only accurate way to determine any recipe’s SmartPoints® value is to plug the ingredients into the recipe builder on the Weight Watchers website (Click on “My Foods,” select “Recipe,” and click “Create a recipe.”) which does not count fruits and vegetables in recipes in the calculations as they are now 0 points.
The SmartPoints® calculator isn’t meant for recipes and will often give you the wrong points (usually higher) because it’s counting the fruits and vegetables. So if you see a recipe with a SmartPoints® value that’s different from what the calculator tells you, now you know why.
Made it! Loved it!
Made this for dinner tonight and I have to say I have not made chicken this delicious in a VERY long time. Excellent recipe that I will keep as a regular!
This recipe is easy, quick and delicious!
Definitely going to be a go to recipe in my house. Very delicious, easy, perfect for a week night meal and healthy!
This was super easy to make and was absolutely delicious!
I have to stay away from cheese. How is this without cheese?
Thank you. Love your recipes. I talk about your website at my WW meeting.
Should be fine
Hi! What would be the freestyle point value for just the baked breaded chicken cutlet? This is our new favorite dish!!
Please add the Saturated Fat to this brilliant recipe!
This was delicious., everyone loved it, and it was pretty easy to make. I did use more oil then called for, because 1 tablespoon of oil was not enough to coat the 2 lbs of thin sliced cutlets I used. I just added additional points for the WW freestyle. Will definitely be making this more often.
made this last night. it was SO delicious. AND easy. I was eating in less than 30 min.(FYI I made it without the cheese) it’s a pretty dish to serve for company. Thank you!!!
Fantastic the whole family loved it. Thank you Gina.
Omg. Gina, this was sooooo good. I just finished mine and had to write a review. This was a quick meal packed with flavor!! I fell off track with my healthy eating and now back on the wagon, lol. Your recipes are a wonderful way for me to enjoy my meals and not miss flavor or satisfaction. Thank you.
Nice food that”s great really for our health Thank you for sharing good post
This was one of my favorite recipes, thank you!!
Great recipe! made in the air fryer! Loved it
I did this in an air fryer following the recipe. Here are the changes i would make. Dip chicken in egg, then crumbs and cook 4 minutes on a side. Squeeze lemon juice over chicken when done. Then add arugula and salad. Use more basil. Skip the cheese in the crumbs and use a small amount of fresh mozzarella on top of the salad. Perfect!
This looks great. I grow both tomatoes and a wild type arugula. Unless i am missing something,I think this could be done in the Air Fryer with less to clean up. What do you think? Will try it next week and report back.
Sure
Husband says ” it’s a keeper ! ” I agree whole heartedly! Yum!
Delicious and easy peasy! Picky 10 year old son asked for seconds..
Made this for my 23 year old son and myself and we both enjoyed it so much. The tomato, red onion, vinegar and oil mixture reminded us of the bruschetta we both love at a local Italian restaurant. I will definitely share the recipe with my SK friendship and make for others. Thank you Gina for another outstanding recipe.
Oh….My….Goodness…..This recipe is AMAZING!!! Thank you, Gina!
Hi Gina,
I have a new Air Fryer and would like to do the chicken in it? What do you think?
Cindy
Just an FYI: breaded chicken cutlets are delicious in the Air Fryer @390 for 10 minutes, turn over and then reduce temp to 300 for another 10 minutes, just keep an eye on them. Sure beats the oven heat in the summer.
I’ve made this several times and it’s always a hit. My youngest son, who has always claimed he doesn’t like salad dressings, loved it and asked why I never used balsamic before!
This was delicious! And I even made a mistake—I thought I bought chicken but when I got the package out of the fridge, I saw it was turkey breast tenderloins! No worries—the recipe was great with turkey! I will try it next with chicken—one of my new favorites!
Do you think you can prep the chicken a day in advance, or cook the chicken a day ahead then re-heat in the oven? Looking to make a huge batch for Mother’s day. Thanks!
Anyone tried this in the air fryer?
See my reply below. MADI
I made this today and the breading just did not stick or crisp. What could I have done wrong? I followed all instructions. Patted it dry, salt, peppers, lemon juice/oil, breadcrumbs/parm… olive oil spray on both sides! Any ideas?
Did you pre-heat the baking sheet?
What did I do wrong? My chicken didn’t get brown and the breadcrumbs didn’t really stick… I followed the instructions.
We really enjoyed this complete recipe of chicken and salad. Making the salad to serve with fish. T Y
Chicken Milanese is one of my favorite restaurant entrees. I needed to find a skinny version. Leave it to Gina! I have made this dozens of times and it is perfect. Works well with fish too. I always make extra tomatoes to throw into salad the next day.
Sounds delish! Could you prepare this ahead if time? Love your recipes!
This is SO GOOD! I’ve made it for several years now and everyone loves it and requests it. My youngest (17) is a vegetarian, so I do hers with a big slice of tofu and she says it’s one of her favorite meals ever. Your recipes are the BEST!
This was delicious! My husband and kids LOVED it!
I made this tonight but used lean pork chops instead of chicken. Delicious! Thank you so much for your amazing recipes. They are always delicious!!
Sounds good!
We made this for dinner last night and absolutely loved it. The salad on top was so fresh. We paired it with some simple mashed potatoes as a side. Delicious and fairly simple!
I made this last night for dinner and it was so good. My youngest son (who is kind of picky) ate the entire serving and thanked me for such a great dinner. Thanks to you I can now get back on track with losing weight.
So happy to hear, my pleasure!
Yum, Yum, Yum, Yum!! I just finished eating this delicious meal! Thank you GIna!!!
Hi Gina! Long time fan of your site but only just started weight watchers. Any idea how much cooked weight of chicken is the portion size for 6 smart points? I bought extra chicken, so want to be accurate with measuring post cooking. On the menu for dinner tonight ????
I made this & it was tasty, but my breading did not stay on the chicken. A little disappointing, but I will try it again.
I really enjoy all of your recipes and the 7 day meal plans. I don’t follow the plans exact or make all of the recipes, but I do make a lot and enjoy most of them . Thank you for this site. I certainly enjoy it.
I love this recipe. I used the chicken portion and do different sides;cooked vegetables, salads. The chicken turns so zesty and juicy.
I have made this twice using panko breadcrumbs, cannot wait to make it again, it is excellent, love that it is not loaded with calories, it's delicious!
Not sure what happened. I made this tonight and nothing stuck to the chicken 🙁 the salad was good and had to improve on the chicken. Not sure what I could do different….suggestions? I have made recipes before from Skinnytaste and they have always worked out!
I made this tonight and it was fabulous! I added whole wheat spaghetti and balsalmic glaze made of honey and agave necter! The crumbs DID stick and it was amazing! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
Just made this. Normally I share my food with my roommates, but I don't want to share this!
I didnt know if anything could ever top your bruschetta chicken that is a weekly staple in our house! This may have done it, or at least is pretty equal!!! Thank you for another great recipe! We feel so healthy and happy after eating this
This looks absolutely delish! Actually, I learned a little trick from my grandmother who taught me to add dry oats to my breadcrumb mixture for an even healthy version of breaded chicken! It's so yummy, and you use less breadcrumbs this way and get all the added nutrition from the oats. 🙂
I just made this and it was delicious! Mmmmmmmm! I like that it is healthier. To cut back on the oil I used liquid egg whites instead but it still was sooooooo tasty. Would make again. Going to try another chicken dish tomorrow. Healthy yet tasty!
The cutlets like great in the picture, but do the crumbs really adhere well to just lemon juice and oil? I would think they would fall off; I might try egg whites instead, and maybe toss the oil w/the crumbs instead.
I've made this several times for guests. Everyone raves about it and the presentation is beautiful. I use Skinnytaste exclusively for all my recipes and tell everyone I know to do the same. Love you Gina!
This is sooo good and is very delicious. I use caloriecount.com to analyze my recipes and when i put it in I got 269 per cutlet (without the salad on top). Did you do something different to get a lower number?
This so delicious and so much better than fried version
This was delicious Gina! I got it on the table quickly and it looked beautiful to boot! I served it alongside your savory sweet potatoes, which are now a staple in our home! Thank you so much for the fabulous recipes that are both healthy and tasty!
made this for dinner tonight and we loved it! thanks for posting.
Ok,really stupid question. Gina, when you say slice the chicken in half lengthwise you mean slice it through the middle right? Like, make thinner pieces of chicken, correct? Not just cutting the chicken breast in half and pound it out, right? Just want to make sure I'm soing this right!! Looks so so good!
I made these last night for dinner, great flavor and very satisfying…my husband ate 2 pieces! My only issue is that the breading never got crispy. It was soggy and fell off of the chicken. Do you have an suggestions how I can avoid this next time?
Thanks!
I just finished making this dish & it was fabulous! This is the first time I've made perfect breaded chicken in the oven. Love your site…so inspiring!
Best recipe yet. Very delicious and easy. Forgot the cheese but it was still fab. This is definitely a weekly meal and impressive for company
Trying this tonight!!! I just started weight watchers this week and I am completely in love with your website, It is so helpful and after seeing some of the recipies my (Italian) husband has decided to try it too! Lets just say it's hard to get him away from all the pasta but with dishes like this it makes it 10x's easier. Thanks so much, you are literally a life saver!
I made this last weekend and I'm making it again tonight for my mom and sister. Quite simply, it was the most delicious meal I've ever made! I had gotten tomatoes, onions, arugula and basil from the farmers market, so everything was super fresh… the combination of flavors is amazing. Thank you, Gina, for this one… I will be making it regularly from now on!
Could prep these a few hours ahead and bake them later? Have 18 month old twins so I like to do all my prep during naps. Looks so yummy!!
This is really good.
Husband and I ate it per the recipe. I turned it into chicken parmesan for the kids.
I will say that I did not dry the chicken like your recipe says and a few pieces weren't as crip as they oculd have been. Lesson learned – dry the chicken next time! And there will be a next time.
I made this last night and it was SO delicious and easy! My "meat & potatoes" husband really liked it too! Thanks Gina! Your recipes are life changers!
Made this the other night…delicious! What would you recommend as a side dish?
English peas, I microwave frozen peas on a few whole lettuce leaves . Make a nest ,cook till they color. If you use Romaine you can eat the leaves.
This looks sooo good. Wondering how it would be if served at room temp. Having a party and would like this to be one of the dishes. What do you think?
Made this last night, and it was delicious!! The preparation was so easy and it left me feeling completely satisfied.
Thanks Gina, I love this site!!!
I know what I am making tonight for dinner. Looks like an easy recipe with easy to find ingredients.
WOW! Made this for dinner tonight and it was SO DELICIOUS and I have no guilt! Was super healthy and full of flavor! Thank you!
Made this tonight! So good! Hubs thought it was fried, which equals success in my house 🙂
macaroni grill?
No, I've never been to one. We have really great Italian restaurants in NY.
A-MAY-ZING!!! Made this for dinner last night, I didn't have arugula so I used some chopped leaf lettuce. DH gave it a thumbs up which is rare for him with chicken. He took the leftover cutlets today as a sandwich. Thanks Gina!
This was amazing. I made it tonight and my husband said it was restrauant quality. Will add this to my regular dishes (and will likely tweek it as I go).
This looks absolutely AMAZING!!! What a perfect summer dinner. Might be nice with some grilled corn on the side…. You keep on coming up with the best recipes! THANK YOU!!!! I emailed this one to my mom…. my dad is growing his own heirloom tomatoes this year, so this would be a perfect dish!
Making this for dinner tonight – cant wait!!!
You can "bread" chicken with oatmeal (and season it with Italian seasoning) for a bit more fiber. That's one of my favorite tricks!
This looks tasty. How do you think it would be without the cheese? As much as I love cheese, I don't eat it with meat.
It would be perfectly fine. Just make sure it has enough salt.
Thanks, Rachel! My exact question! I should have checked before asking the same. Judy.
If it's a chain restaurant I know the disk and loved it, ours recently closed. I'm going to love making this!
No not a chain, just a great local spot.
Gina this is one of my favorite recipes! I have made half a dozen times. My husband loooves it. I love 'torta de milanesa' but hold back on it for obvious reasons. Im so happy you have helped me be able to enjoy it again guilt free!
I LOVE ANYTHING MILANESE 🙂
I am making this for dinner tonight …yay !!
This will definitely be on the menu for tonight! I have so many fresh tomatoes from the garden that are begging to be used and this sounds perfect.
Gina,
Do you know the points for just the chicken? My husband won't eat tomatoes or onions.
I used to work in a restaurant that served this dish and I loved it. I can't wait to try yours!
I added that info above
Ohhhh, that looks so yummy!!!
Wow that looks so good! That is what's for dinner tonight!! Thanks Gina!!!
mımmm..ı love it..ı will try this recipe as soon as guickly..
This is making me so hungry!! *drools* Love it! <3
I'll definitely try this. I love arugula. I have a pork milanese that I love to make but it is no way 'skinny'. I'll have to try your method with pork, as well. Thanks for another great one!
I make this with center cut pork chops pounded thin, it is delicious!
This looks really wonderful, I love Milanese and this looks healthier….
I love the simplicity and the healthiness of this meal!
Where's my fork ; ) Love it Gina!
Thanks Bella!
You could also use veal or pork cutlets.
Gina could I try this with actual Milanesa steak???
i love this dish at the restaurant with a side of pasta with garlic and oil (clearly not a healthy choice)…any tips on re-creating that for a lower point side dish?
Yes, use spirilized zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash as a substitute for pasta portion. I have discovered that carrots spirilized with garlic and oil is also a great substitute.
I just updated the points plus!
We had this for dinner tonight, it was really good. This will become a regular in our house I'm sure, because all the kids liked it too.
This was really good. Made it with baby spinach and a bag of baby mixed salad leaves. I also used the small chicken cutlets that you can buy now and served the kids just the chicken. Perfect for the whole family.
sounds yummy, I’ll try this !!! 😉
Oh wow does that look good! I am not a ww but I am always looking for new things to do with chicken!
This looks great!