Breaded chicken is one of those classic meals that just hits the spot every time. It’s comforting, delicious, and incredibly versatile—perfect for busy weeknights or special occasions.

This gluten-free breaded chicken recipe is on repeat at our house. I make it every week. And the best part is, you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen to nail this dish. Forget tons of dishes and flours, not in this recipe!

top down view of gluten free breaded chicken with cheese and parsley on top

With just a few simple pantry staples—like breadcrumbs, eggs, and a touch of seasoning—and a couple of easy steps, you can whip up breaded chicken that’s perfectly golden and full of flavor.

using a meat mallet to pound chicken breasts

close up view of chicken breasts after they have been flattened.

For this recipe, I use two large chicken breasts for our family of four. The chicken gets halved lengthwise and then pounded thin with a meat mallet. This creates four larger cutlets which is enough for our family with sides. A cutlet is a boneless, thin cut of meat that can be fried in a pan.

Gather Your Ingredients

Chicken Breasts – we will slice the chicken breasts in half and pound them out to about 1/4 inch thick. This tenderizes the meat and allows it to cook faster and more evenly.
Breadcrumbs – My favorite gluten-free breadcrumbs are Aleia’s Italian Bread Crumbs and Porq Panko Bread Crumbs. These are both available at most supermarkets. Another idea is to buy a bag of pork rinds and throw them in a food processor until they are a fine crumb.
Parmesan Cheese – I love to add grated parmesan cheese to the breadcrumb mixture for added flavor.
Egg – the egg helps bind the breadcrumbs to the chicken.
Mozzarella – I top mine with mozzarella cheese and broil until melted.
Parsley – Fresh herbs are best but you can also use dried. This adds color and flavor to the final dish.
Salt and Pepper – I season my cutlets before breading, then again while they are cooking, and again after fully cooking.

gluten free breaded chicken with cheese and parsley on top

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Gluten-Free
Kid Friendly
Adaptable
Budget-friendly

Perfect Pairings

This breaded chicken is so adaptable! Make it a full meal by pairing this breaded chicken with a simple side salad, roasted veggies, and creamy mashed potatoes. Turn it into Chicken Parmesan with the addition of cooked pasta and your favorite red sauce. Use different cheese toppings or omit the cheese entirely. It’s delicious either way!

Gluten Free Breaded Chicken Cutlets

Crispy, melt in your mouth chicken breasts covered in gluten free breadcrumbs and topped with melty mozzarella cheese.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Course Main Course

Servings 4 people

Equipment

meat mallet
frying pan
baking sheet with wire rack

Ingredients

oil I use avocado
2 thick chicken breasts sliced in half, then pounded to ¼ inch thick
1 egg
2 cups breadcrumbs gluten free (see notes)
½ cup parmesan cheese grated
4 slices mozzarella cheese
parsley chopped
salt and pepper

Instructions

Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Place chicken between two pieces of parchment paper and pound with a meat mallet until they are ¼ inch thick. Dry chicken with a paper towel, then salt and pepper each side of the chicken and set aside.
Set up your breading station. Beat eggs with a splash of water in one bowl. On a separate plate, mix breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.
Dip chicken cutlet into egg wash and then dredge both sides in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing lightly. Shake off excess. Set chicken aside for a few minutes to allow breadcrumb coating to better adhere to chicken.
Heat a few swirls of cooking oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is heated and the oil is shiny, cook breaded cutlets for about 3 minutes per side until crisp and golden. Lightly salt and pepper each side of the cutlet as it cooks. Place cutlets on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Cover each cutlet with a slice of mozzarella cheese.
Preheat Broiler for 5 minutes. Broil cutlets for 5 minutes until mozzarella cheese is melted and gooey.
Top chicken with parsley and serve. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Tips for crispy cutlets:

Allow your chicken to rest after breading. This helps the breadcrumb coating adhere to the chicken.
Only cook 1 or 2 cutlets at a time in the frying pan. Overcrowding the pan will produce steam and result in soggier cutlets.
Ensure the pan and oil are hot before cooking cutlets. If the pan is still cool, the breadcrumbs will absorb the oil instead of frying, resulting in soggy cutlets.
You can keep cutlets warm by placing them in a 300-degree oven on a wire rack over a baking sheet.

Gluten-Free Breadcrumbs: My favorite gluten-free breadcrumbs are Aleia’s Italian Bread Crumbs and Porq Panko Bread Crumbs. These are both available at most supermarkets. You can also make your breadcrumbs from gluten-free bread. Just pulse cubed bread in a food processor until they are a fine crumb, then bake it in the oven for 6 minutes at 300 degrees. Or, take pork rinds and pulse in a food processor until they are bread crumb-sized.