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pancake-battered chicken served with lemon wedges and salad on a plate
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5 from 4 votes

Pancake-Battered Chicken

Pancake-battered chicken is made with thin chicken breast cutlets coated in a homemade batter and shallow-fried until crisp and golden.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Chicken Breast
Cuisine: Romanian
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 375kcal
Author: Adina Beck

Equipment

  • Meat mallet or small, heavy saucepan
  • Very large bowl
  • Large plate
  • Large nonstick pan or cast-iron skillet
  • Whisk
  • Tongs

Ingredients

Chicken:

  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts Note 1
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour for coating

Batter:

  • 2 large eggs
  • ⅔ cup milk
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour plus more if needed
  • 1 tablespoon fine dry breadcrumbs
  • ½ cup sparkling water
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

For shallow-frying:

  • 1 cup vegetable oil plus more if needed, Notes 2,3
US - EU

Instructions

  • Prepare the chicken: Slice the chicken breasts horizontally into cutlets about ⅓ inch/1 cm thick. Place them between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them lightly with a meat mallet or the bottom of a small, heavy saucepan. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
    2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts + 1 teaspoon fine sea salt + ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Make pancake batter: Whisk the eggs, milk, flour, and breadcrumbs in a very large bowl. Begin by whisking in about half of the sparkling water. Add more as needed, up to about two-thirds of the total amount, until the batter is thick but runs slowly from a spoon. If it is too thin, add a little more flour; if it is too thick, add another splash of sparkling water. Season with salt.
    2 large eggs + ⅔ cup milk + 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 tablespoon fine dry breadcrumbs + about half from ½ cup sparkling water + ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Flour the chicken: Place the flour for coating on a plate. Coat the chicken cutlets lightly with flour and shake off the excess.
    1-2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • Coat with batter: Place all the floured chicken pieces in the bowl of batter and mix well until they are completely coated.
  • Heat the oil: Heat enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a large nonstick pan or cast-iron skillet.
    half of 1 cup vegetable oil
  • Fry the chicken: Lift one piece of chicken with tongs and turn it through the batter once or twice more to coat it well. Place it in the hot pan and repeat with another three pieces, or as many as will fit without crowding the pan.
  • Cook: Fry over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes in total, turning the pieces several times, until the coating is evenly golden and the chicken is cooked through.
  • Drain: Transfer the chicken to paper towels or a wire rack and keep the pieces in a single layer.
  • Finish: Fry the remaining chicken in batches, adding more oil when necessary. Serve immediately.

Notes

  1. Chicken: You can also use pre-cut thin chicken cutlets. I used regular chicken breasts and cut them into 11 pieces, some larger and some smaller. As long as they are all about the same thickness, they will cook in roughly the same amount of time.
  2. Oil: Use a neutral oil suitable for frying, such as sunflower, canola, or vegetable oil. You need enough to cover the bottom of the pan, but the chicken should not be submerged.
  3. The nutritional information is only an estimate. It was calculated using 4 tablespoons of oil, as not all the frying oil is absorbed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the recipe | Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 804mg | Potassium: 650mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 181IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg