QUICK and EASY cheesy bruschetta chicken cutlets! Ready in 15 minutes flat. Chicken cutlets topped with canned tomatoes, garlic, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese!
This is a fast-as-it-gets weeknight dinner, perfect for those midweek nights when you’re ready to cave and order a pizza instead of cooking. Put the phone down, open the pantry, and you’ll have these cheesy bruschetta-topped chicken cutlets ready in about fifteen minutes!
With its warm topping of tomatoes and cheese, this dinner is plenty rich and flavorful. Serve on top of fettuccine or zucchini noodles, or alongside steamed rice and vegetables. I actually like these more than their fussier cousin, chicken parmigiana!
Video: How to Make Cheesy Bruschetta Chicken
What Are Chicken Cutlets?
Bruschetta chicken cutlets are just what they sound like: thin cuts of chicken breast. When I say thin, I mean really thin — usually no more than a 1/4-inch thick — that's the height of a paperclip standing on its side. For this recipe, we then sear them and top with diced tomatoes and lots of melty cheese.
Use chicken cutlets for this recipe because they cook faster than chicken breasts. Cutlets are sometimes simply called thinly sliced chicken breasts. You can find them next to the chicken breasts and tenders at the grocery store.
To make your own cutlets: Butterfly chicken breasts in half and pound them flat. If you're more of a visual learner, follow this how-to.
The recipe also makes use of a convenient pantry staple: canned diced tomatoes. Doctor them up with some olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning, and they make a great stand-in when fresh tomatoes are out of season.
What to Serve With Chicken Cutlets
For a complete meal, serve this chicken on top of fettuccine or zucchini noodles, or alongside steamed rice and vegetables.
What to Do With Leftovers
Leftovers will keep refrigerated for about five days.
Since the chicken is so thin, it's hard to reheat it without overcooking the chicken and making it rubbery. This said, you can certainly reheat your leftovers to make a second meal!
You can also turn leftover cutlets into an easy, cheesy chicken sandwich the next day, or thinly slice and toss with warm, fresh pasta until warm.
For the bruschetta topping:
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed in a garlic press
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning or 1/4 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the chicken
1 1/2 pounds (4 cutlets) chicken breast cutlets or thinly sliced chicken breasts, 1/4-inch thick
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Method
1-Heat your oven broiler to its highest setting:
Place a rack a few inches below the broiler.
2-Make the bruschetta topping:
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together all of the bruschetta topping ingredients. Set aside.
3-Sear the chicken:
Season the chicken cutlets on both sides with the salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch), oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. I like to use either a cast iron or stainless steel skillet -- nonstick and enameled cast iron cookware usually aren't meant to be used above 500oF, so they aren’t broiler safe.
When the oil is shimmering, sear the chicken cutlets for 3 minutes on one side, just so they get a little bit of color.
It’s ok if they are not cooked through, since they will finish cooking in the oven.
4-Flip and season the cutlets:
Flip the cutlets over, then spoon on the bruschetta topping and sprinkle with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Let them cook in the pan for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
5-Broil the chicken:
Place the skillet under the broiler. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and brown and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Check for doneness by cutting into one of the cutlets to see if it’s opaque in the center, or by checking the temperature of one of the cutlets with an instant-read thermometer (the chicken should be 165oF or higher in the center).
At this point, your chicken should be ready, but if you used cutlets that were thicker than 1/4-inch you may have to return it to the stovetop to cook for another 1-3 minutes.
6-Serve:
Sprinkle the parsley on top of the chicken and serve the cutlets hot.