Chicken Cutlets topped with Roasted Peppers and Provolone cheese

This chicken cutlet is kind of like chicken parm's brother from another mother. It's smothered roasted red peppers and long hots, then covered in a generous amount of sharp provolone cheese and broiled to perfection.

Chicken Cutlets Topped with Roasted Peppers and Provolone cheese

This recipe came about when my husband put me on a quest to recreate a dinner that he got at a local Italian restaurant called, Chicken Philly.  This is like Chicken Parm’s brother from another mother who you love whole heartedly. This is a meal that will leave you satisfied and full and is perfect for a cooler night.

Chicken cutlets can do no wrong, amiright? They are crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. They’re essentially the adult version of chicken tenders and are delicious no matter what you pair them with. In this case, it’s a savory and spicy mixture of peppers with a hint of tang and sweetness that get’s topped with melty sharpe provolone cheese. Serve this with a side of mashed or crispy potatoes for a hearty meal.

Key Ingredients

  • Roasted Red Peppers – First off red peppers are sweeter and not bitter unlike the green pepper. And, roasting them enhances the flavor so much.  You can make them yourself or buy a jar of sliced roasted red peppers to save yourself a shortcut. 
  • Long Hot Peppers – Long hots are a light greenish yellow color and are long, hence their name. They are also quite spicy so you can choose to add one or two depending on how hot you want to make it. Here we roast them right along with the red peppers to again enhance their flavor.
  • Sharpe Provolone Cheese – This cheese is perfect for melting and has a more pungent flavor that adds a nice contrast to the overall dish.

Make the chicken cutlets

You can either buy thinly sliced chicken breast at the grocery store or do the work yourself and save a penny. Money is time after all. If you wish to make a chicken cutlet from a whole chicken breast:

  • Prep the chicken. Start by laying the chicken breast flat on a cutting board. I like to place one hand on top of it so it doesn’t slide around.
  • Slice the chicken into two thin pieces. Find the horizontal center and using your knife, gradually slice into it to make two thinner pieces. To make sure you get even pieces, open the chicken like a book and continue slicing on that horizontal center.
  • Pound them out. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken and using a meat mallet (on the flat side) or a rolling pin, pound the chicken until it’s a uniform 1/4 inch thick. Try not to tear the meat, it might happen a little and that’s okay but you want to leave the chicken intact. 

Bread the chicken cutlets

Now that your chicken is ready, set up the breading or FEB station: flour, eggs and breadcrumbs.

  • Set up three wide bowls or plates. Place the flour in one, eggs in another and breadcrumbs in the last.
  •  Season the flour. Whisk to combine. 
  • Season the eggs. Whisk to combine.
  • Combine breadcrumbs, panko and parmesan cheese.  Whisk to combine
  • Bread the chicken: First, you are going to coat your chicken in flour and shake off the excess. Then dip it in the eggs, again allowing the excess to drip off. Then last place it in the breadcrumbs pressing them into the chicken to fully coat and make sure they are adhered.

To store

  • If using within a few hours – Place on a wire rack on top of a sheet pan and place in the fridge loosely covered until ready to cook. 
  • To freeze – Wrap each chicken cutlet in plastic wrap and then place inside a gallon size freezer bag. They will be good for up to 3 months in the freezer!

To make the pepper mixture

  • Char the peppers. Place the peppers directly over an open flame or underneath the broiler and just let it become completely blackened. Keep a close eye on them and continue to turn them.
  • Place them in a sealed container. Once they are all black and charred place them I sealed container or bowl with plastic wrap and let them sit in there for about 10 min.
  • Peel off the skin. Once they are cool enough to handle peel the skin off of the pepper with your fingers. Rinse under running water to remove any black bits.
  • Slice into strips. Remove the stem, core and seeds and slice the roasted red pepper and long hot.
  • Roast the peppers. Combine the roasted red peppers and long hots on a sheet pan along with garlic, thyme, onion powder and oil. Let them roast in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes mixing halfway.
  • Finish the mixture. Once they have roasted a little more and have become a bit more caramelized remove them and add a little apple cider vinegar and honey to balance things out and make it saucey.

To finish the dish

  • Fry the chicken cutlets.  Heat a skillet over medium – medium-high heat. Once hot, coat the bottom of the pan in olive oil. Fry each chicken cutlet until golden brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. 
  • Top the cutlets. Spread out a generous amount of the roasted pepper mixture and a heaping of Sharpe provolone cheese on top of each chicken cutlet.
  • Broil. Broil until the cheese melts and gets a little browned in spots. 

Chicken Philly

This chicken cutlet is kind of like chicken parm's brother from another mother. It's smothered roasted red peppers and long hots, then covered in a generous amount of sharp provolone cheese and broiled to perfection.
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: Chicken, Chicken Cutlet, Long Hots, Roasted Peppers, Sharpe Provolone
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 Chicken Breasts
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup panko
  • 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 4 Bell Peppers Red, Orange, Yellow
  • 1-2 Long hots
  • 2 tbsp Garlic chopped
  • 2 tsp Thyme chopped
  • 2 tsp Onion Powder
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 4 tsp Honey
  • Salt & Pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375
  • Over an open flame or under the broiler, char the peppers on all sides until completely blackened. Place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap or a sealed container for 10 min or until cool enough to handle. Peel the skin from the outside and rinse if needed. Remove the stem, core, seeds and ribs and slice into strips.
  • On a sheet pan add the sliced roasted peppers, garlic, thyme, onion powder, salt, pepper and olive oil. Toss to coat and spread out evenly on the sheet pan. Roast for 20 min mixing halfway through. Once they’ve roasted more and slightly started to caramelize, remove the pan from the oven and add the cider vinegar along with the honey. Toss and season to taste. Set aside.
  • Slice the chicken breasts in half so you have 4 thinly sliced cutlets. One at a time, place a cutlet on a cutting board with a piece of plastic wrap on top. Using a meat mallet pound it until it's 1/4 inch thick.
  • Set up a FEB (flour, egg, breadcrumbs) station in 3 shallow bowls or plates. Flour in one bowl, beaten eggs in another bowl and the panko/breadcrumbs/parmesan cheese in the last. Season each chicken cutlet and the FEB station with salt and pepper.
  • One at a time, evenly coat each piece of chicken in flour, then the egg and lastly the breadcrumb mixture. Set aside.
  • Heat a skillet over medium to medium - medium-high heat. Add in a good amount of olive oil to fully cover the bottom of the pan. Fry the cutlets until nice and browned on each side. Remove from the pan and set on a roasting rack placed on a baking sheet.
  • Top each chicken cutlet with the pepper mixture and a generous amount of shredded Sharpe provolone cheese.
  • Adjust the oven rack if needed and broil for 5-7 minutes until the cheese has become browned and bubbly. 
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!