Chicken Escalope

This is an amazing recipe for chicken escalope, thin and crispy and golden brown on the outside, juicy on the inside. This is a simple weeknight meal, with an easy process to coat the chicken. The escalope cooks so quickly since the chicken breasts are so thin. You just need a handful of ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now!

What is chicken escalope?

Escalope is a French word meaning thin meat. In this case, you can have the chicken breast cut in half into thin pieces, or pounded until thin.

Chicken escalope as a meal is a very common Middle Eastern thing, often served with a side of french fries- a kids dream! Speaking for myself, if I make this I get a resounding round of applause from my little ones.

Chicken escalope basically consists of thin chicken breasts breaded and fried until crispy and golden brown, but still juicy on the inside.

What makes this recipe so good?

• It’s really simple! Once you have your ingredients for dredging set up, the breading process takes no time at all, and frying happens very quickly since the chicken is so thin.
• We use one spice mix for both marinating the chicken and seasoning the breadcrumbs, which makes this whole recipe so fast and simple.
• The seasoning and crunch in the breading makes for such a delicious dish. SO crispy!
• Chicken escalope is kid and adult friendly and can be served with a variety of sides.
• The frozen breaded chicken breasts freeze so well, both cooked and uncooked.

Ingredients you need for this recipe:

Chicken breasts: I like my butcher to do all the hard work and ask him to cut the breasts in half lengthwise for me. This eliminates what would otherwise be the most time consuming part of the recipe. Otherwise, you can do this at home, using a sharp knife to cut through the thick part of the chicken and slice it lengthwise to make two thin halves.

Breadcrumbs: Just regular plain breadcrumbs. You don’t need seasoned bread crumbs since we will season the plain breadrumbs with the perfect simple spice mix.

Seasoning: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano. The best part is the same seasoning mix is used to marinate the chicken and is mixed with the breadcrumbs. This really simplifies the recipe.

Flour: we mix the flour with a little bit of salt and pepper to season it. This ensures each layer of chicken is well seasoned. Flour is used to dredge the chicken breasts so that the egg mixture sticks to them.

Eggs and water: I find a mixture of both makes for an easy consistency to coat the chicken breasts in to make sure the breadcrumbs stick well to them.

Steps to making the best easy chicken escalope:

1. Make your spice mix: Mix together the paprika, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and oregano.
2. Use half this spice mix to coat the chicken breasts, and let them sit for 15 minutes to marinate.
3. Use the other half of the spice mix to mix with the breadcrumbs in a shallow plate. Prepare two more shallow plates, one with flour mixed with a little salt and pepper, and one the egg mixed with water.
4. Once at a time, dredge the chicken breasts, first in the flour on both sides shaking off excess flour.
5. Add the floured chicken breasts to the egg mix, letting any extra egg dip off, then dip both sides in the breadcrumbs to completely coat the chicken. Repeat with all the chicken.
6. Heat a few inches of vegetable oil in a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, fry the chicken two at a time or as many as you can fit without overcrowding in the pan. Fry for 3-4 minutes a side until deep golden brown and cooked through. Place on a paper towel lined platter and repeat until all your chicken is fried.

What to serve escalope with:

These are traditionally served with french fries, and they’d also be delicious with mashed potatoes. I like having a fresh green salad on the side too to cut all that richness, check out this salad here.

Storing leftovers:

Leftovers will last up to 3 days in the fridge in a tightly sealed container. Reheat in an oven or air fryer to maintain the crispiness. Reheat in an oven at 400F(200C) for 10-12 minutes or until hot, or in an air fryer at 375F(190C) for 4-5 minutes

Freezing and reheating chicken escalope:

Chicken escalope is very freezer friendly. You can freeze it either before cooking (after breading) or after frying.

Either way, to freeze, place individual slices on a baking sheet and flash freeze until set before stacking them on top of each other in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

If cooking frozen raw chicken escalope, defrost overnight in the fridge then fry as directed. If reheating frozen cooked escalope, defrost overnight in the fridge then reheat in an oven at 400F(200C) for 10-12 minutes or until hot, or in an air fryer at 375F(190C) for 4-5 minutes- an air fryer is my favorite way to reheat breaded things!

Recipe tips and tricks:

• Have your butcher slice the chicken breasts in half- they are the experts after all, and this creates a lot less work for you.
• After dredging the chicken, shake off any extra flour, egg coating, and breadcrumbs. This is to avoid clumping and ensure even frying.
• Make sure oil is hot before adding the chicken. You can test this by just dipping the edge of a breaded breast in the oil if it immediately starts to sizzle and cook then you are ready to go.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan, make sure there is space between the chicken that’s cooking. Overcrowding can lower the oil temperature leading to greasy chicken.
• After frying, place the breaded escalopes on paper towels to drain some of the extra oil, keeping them crispy.

Recipe FAQs:

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