Chicken Costoletta (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)
Tender chicken breast in a flavorful breading, topped with a delicious, creamy lemon sauce, this Chicken Costoletta recipe is an easy at-home copycat recipe of the Cheesecake Factory favorite! Cheaper and even more delicious made at home, it’s perfect with asparagus and mashed potatoes.
🍽️ What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Chicken Costoletta is so flavorful! Thin and tender chicken, coated in a deliciously flavorful breading, then topped with creamy lemon sauce. It tastes just like what you can get at the restaurant, but from the comfort of your own home.
- This is such an easy and impressive dish to make! The lemon sauce comes together quickly, and the chicken crisps up in just a couple of minutes. It’s a perfect dish to make if you’re planning on entertaining guests, a special date night, or even just for a delicious weeknight dinner.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- Chicken costoletta is super versatile! I love pairing it with asparagus and mashed potatoes for the full Cheesecake Factory feel. However, you could totally put this chicken on top of some lemon pepper pasta, or any other noodles you have on hand! Even the pickiest of eaters will love this delicious chicken.
- Breaded chicken crisps up very quickly! Be sure to remove chicken from heat as soon as it turns a golden-brown color. Be sure to pat the chicken dry to ensure it stays perfectly crisp!
- Grab an insulated cup! It’ll keep your lemon sauce perfectly warm while you’re cooking the chicken. You won’t have to worry about the sauce curdling, or having to reheat it once ready to serve. This is one of my favorite hacks!
🍗 More Delicious Chicken Dinners You’ll Love
- Jerk Chicken Alfredo
- Chicken Savoy
- Chicken and Spinach Manicotti
- Chicken Bryan (Carrabba’s Copycat)
- Truffle Honey Chicken with Asparagus
- Chicken Roulade with Goat Cheese
- Chicken Milanese
Chicken Costoletta (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)
This restaurant-favorite chicken dish is super easy to make in your own kitchen, and easier on your wallet, too!
- cutting board
- sharp chef's knife
- meat pounder
- medium saucepan with lid
- large wooden spoon
- insulated tumbler with lid
- shallow bowls
- whisk
- spoon
- large plate
- paper towels
- wire cooling rack
- Large skillet
- tongs
- internal meat thermometer
For the Chicken
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 8 ounces each)
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or vegetable oil)
For the Lemon Cream Sauce
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or vegetable oil)
- 3 cloves garlic (pressed or minced)
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (at room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
For the Chicken Breading
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest (zest from approximately [adjustable]2[/adjustable] medium lemons)
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan
For the Chicken
Place [wprm-ingredient text=”2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts” uid=”10″] on cutting board. Using sharp knife, slice each chicken breast in half horizontally, creating 4 evenly-sized chicken cutlets. If needed, pound each cutlet with meat pounder or rolling pin until each cutlet is ¼-inch thick.
Season cutlets generously on all sides with [wprm-ingredient text=”salt” uid=”11″] and [wprm-ingredient text=”black pepper” uid=”12″] to taste. Set chicken cutlets aside.
For the Lemon Cream Sauce
Place medium saucepan on stovetop over medium-low heat and add [wprm-ingredient text=”1 tablespoon avocado oil” uid=”2″]. Continue heating saucepan, swirling and tilting pan occasionally to distribute oil across entire surface, until oil is hot and shimmery.
When oil is hot, add [wprm-ingredient text=”3 cloves garlic” uid=”1″] (minced or pressed) and stir to incorporate. Sauté garlic, stirring constantly, 30 to 60 seconds or until fragrant.
Remove saucepan from heat and let cool slightly. Add [wprm-ingredient text=”2 cups heavy whipping cream” uid=”3″] and stir to incorporate, then return saucepan to stovetop and increase heat to medium-high. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cream is reduced by approximately one-third (33%).
Once cream has reduced, add [wprm-ingredient text=”1 tablespoon Dijon mustard” uid=”4″], [wprm-ingredient text=”¼ cup lemon juice” uid=”5″], [wprm-ingredient text=”salt” uid=”7″], and [wprm-ingredient text=”black pepper” uid=”8″] to taste. Stir to incorporate, then simmer, stirring frequently, approximately 5 minutes.
Remove saucepan from heat and let cool slightly. Add [wprm-ingredient text=”2 tablespoons unsalted butter” uid=”6″] and stir until butter is completely melted and fully incorporated. Set saucepan on cool burner and cover with lid, stirring occasionally until ready to serve. Alternately, transfer sauce to insulated cup and keep covered.
For the Chicken Breading
Add [wprm-ingredient text=”¼ cup all-purpose flour” uid=”16″] to one shallow bowl. Set aside.
Crack [wprm-ingredient text=”2 large eggs” uid=”15″] directly into second shallow bowl. Whisk eggs vigorously until fully combined. Set aside.
Add [wprm-ingredient text=”1 cup panko breadcrumbs” uid=”14″], [wprm-ingredient text=”2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest” uid=”13″], and [wprm-ingredient text=”3 tablespoons grated parmesan” uid=”20″] to third shallow bowl. Stir until ingredients are well blended.
Place one chicken cutlet in bowl of flour. Flip chicken as needed to coat all sides lightly. Shake any excess flour back into bowl.
Dip floured cutlet in egg mixture, again coating all sides. Once coated, hold chicken up and out of egg mixture, allowing excess egg to drip back into bowl.
Place chicken in panko mixture. Flip chicken as needed to coat all sides, gently pressing chicken into panko mixture to ensure breading sticks. Once coated, shake any excess breading mixture back into bowl.
Place breaded chicken on large plate and set aside. Repeat process with remaining chicken cutlets.
To Cook and Serve the Chicken Costoletta
Lay 3 to 4 layers of paper towels on flat surface, then place wire cooling rack over paper towels. Set aside.
Place large skillet on stovetop over medium-low heat. Add [wprm-ingredient text=”2 tablespoons avocado oil” uid=”17″] to skillet and swirl pan to coat entire surface in oil. Continue heating skillet until oil is hot and shimmery.
When oil is ready, add breaded chicken to skillet in one even layer, working in batches as needed to avoid crowding.
Pan-fry chicken 3 to 4 minutes or until breading is lightly golden. Flip chicken over and fry 3 to 4 minutes more, or until internal temperature reaches 160° Fahrenheit. Cook times will vary depending on thickness of breading and cutlets.
Once temperature is reached, transfer chicken to wire cooling rack and set aside to rest 5 minutes. Repeat process with any remaining chicken cutlets.
Once all cutlets have been fried and have rested, transfer chicken to serving plates with mashed potatoes and asparagus (or sides of choice). Spoon plenty of lemon cream sauce over chicken and serve immediately.
- Chicken Breasts: Use chicken breasts that are the same size so the cutlets will cook at the same rate.
- Heavy Cream: Heating cold heavy cream too quickly can make it separate or curdle. Make sure the cream is at room temperature before beginning the recipe.
- Lemon Cream Sauce: Make the sauce first so you can serve the chicken as soon as it’s ready.
The nutrition facts reflect the information for 1 serving of the fried chicken cutlets with sauce. Note, though, that it considers a serving of the sauce to be ¼ of the total amount of sauce the recipe makes, and that may be more than you actually use.
