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Romano-crusted chicken filets served with tangy marinara and spaghetti noodles. Chicken Romano is golden, crispy, flavorful, and sure to be your family’s new favorite meal.

When you’re wanting a hearty meal, you really can’t go wrong with Italian. If you love Chicken Romano, you’ll also have to try chicken marinara, stuffed Tuscan garlic chicken, or chicken francese!

Chicken romano served on a dark blue plate with spaghetti noodles.

Crusted Chicken Romano

Chicken Romano is easily my favorite dish at Cheesecake Factory and just an amazing dish in general. When I think of the perfect comfort meal, golden, crispy chicken and heaps of noodles come to mind. Chicken Romano is all of that and more! It’s such a delicious recipe.

Not only is each chicken cutlet coated in breadcrumbs, but a generous layer of shredded Romano which makes every bite a DREAM! The perfect combination of crispy and cheesy. Serve up your chicken with some spaghetti noodles and your favorite marinara, and bam! The perfect Italian dinner that everyone will love.

Ingredients Needed

The best part about this Chicken Romano recipe? It looks and tastes fancy, but is made from super simple ingredients. So simple that you probably have most of them in your pantry right now! Exact measurements are in the recipe card below.

  • Chicken Cutlets: These are basically thin slices of chicken breast. If you can’t find chicken cutlets at the store, pounding regular chicken breasts thin will give you the same result.
  • Eggs: Think of eggs as the glue that helps the tasty breading stick to the chicken.
  • Grated Romano Cheese: The star of the show! If you can’t find plain Romano at your local grocery store, a parmesan-romano blend or Italian cheese blend will work as well.
  • Panko Breadcrumbs: These breadcrumbs give the chicken a nice, crispy crust. I used plain breadcrumbs but seasoned Italian breadcrumbs will also work.
  • All-Purpose Flour: Flour is like the base coat that helps everything else stick to the chicken.
  • Salt and Pepper: Basic seasonings to add an extra layer of flavor!
  • Vegetable Oil: This is what makes our chicken crispy and golden when we fry it.
  • Marinara Sauce: It’s the saucy goodness that brings all the flavors together. Use your favorite jarred marinara or make your own!
  • Spaghetti: A classic pasta that makes this dish a little more hearty and filling.
  • Extra Cheese on Top: Sprinkle a little more cheese on top to make it extra yummy and delicious!

How to Make Chicken Romano

It only takes 20 minutes to prepare these delicious crusted chicken filets. Cook up your favorite pasta while the chicken sears and you’ll have dinner ready in no time at all!

  1. Prepare Breading Station: In a shallow platter or plate, whisk the eggs. Then in a separate platter or plate whisk together the cheese, panko bread crumbs, and flour. Have a third plate ready so it can hold the breaded chicken.
  2. Dip in Eggs: One cutlet at a time, dip the chicken in the eggs, coating evenly. Allow the excess egg to drip off the cutlet before moving the chicken to the next platter.
  3. Coat: Place the egg coated chicken cutlet in the cheese and flour mixture, coat all sides completely. Then place the breaded chicken onto the empty plate.
  4. Sear: In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil up over medium heat. Then once the oil has heated up, add the breaded chicken to the pan 2 cutlets at a time. Cook each cutlet for about 8-10 minutes per side. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
  5. Serve: Once all your chicken is cooked, serve over pasta with marinara sauce and grated Romano cheese. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil if desired.
3-photo collage of the chicken cutlets being battered.

Can I Make Chicken Romano in the Oven?

To bake the chicken, preheat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with foil. When the chicken cutlets are breaded, spray each side of the chicken with olive oil. Bake the breaded chicken for 20-30 minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Swap Out the Sauce

One of the great things about Chicken Romano is that you can switch out the marinara sauce and it will still taste amazing. Try it out with some of my favorite homemade sauce recipes!

Closeup of cooked chicken romano in a white skillet.

Storing Leftover Chicken Romano

If you have any leftover chicken, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Here are a few ways to reheat it so it stays nice and crispy!

Reheating:

  • In the Oven: Reheat for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In the Air Fryer: Place chicken in your air fryer basket, cook for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2 chicken cutlets, one cut into slices.

More Tasty Chicken Dishes

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Chicken Romano

5 from 2 votes
By: Alyssa Rivers
Romano-crusted chicken filets served with tangy marinara and spaghetti noodles. Chicken Romano is golden, crispy, flavorful, and sure to be your family's new favorite meal.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • In a shallow platter or plate, whisk the eggs. In a separate platter or plate whisk together the cheese, breadcrumbs, and flour. Have a third plate ready to hold the breaded chicken.
  • One cutlet at a time, dip the chicken in the eggs, coating evenly. Allow the excess egg to drip off the cutlet before moving the chicken to the next platter.
  • Place the egg coated chicken cutlet in the cheese and flour mixture, coat all sided completely. Place the breaded chicken onto the empty plate.
  • In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil up over medium heat. Once the oil has heated up, add the breaded chicken to the pan 2 cutlets at a time. Cook each cutlet for about 8-10 minutes per side. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 degrees fahrenheit.
  • Once all your chicken is cooked, serve over pasta with marinara sauce and grated romano cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 474kcalCarbohydrates: 82gProtein: 21gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 164mgSodium: 1776mgPotassium: 847mgFiber: 7gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1222IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 87mgIron: 6mg

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

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian, Italian American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

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7 Comments

    1. Hi Elizabeth, thank you for your question! Yes you can, first you’ll want to preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 4 minutes on one side. Flip the chicken over and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken in the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The final cook time will depend on the thickness of the chicken breasts you use. Let me know how it turns out!

  1. 5 stars
    The best and most delicious chicken cutlet recipe I’ve tried. My family all voted that it is one of the best meals I’ve ever prepared and it’s so easy! So thank you for this recipe!

  2. 5 stars
    Very good recipe. I used pork tenderloin, which I cut and flattened into cutlets. We enjoyed this delicious dinner. Thanks for sharing.

  3. Hello

    Could you clarify the number of servings, you have 4 cutlets, then the pasta.

    Serving says for 2 people ?? Would it serve 4 people as written.

    Thanks