How to Bread Meat

Last Updated: February 18, 2023

A perfectly breaded pork chop, cutlet of veal, or fried chicken leg starts with the right preparation and ends in a hot frying pan. Your goal is ensure that a thin layer of crispy breading adheres to your meat after it is cooked. Avoid trouble spots such as bland taste, greasy coatings and separation of ingredients by setting yourself up for success before you bread meat.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Classic Breaded Cutlets

Dishes such as chicken-fried steak, veal cutlets and Chicken Parmesan require you to pound boneless meat into thin, uniform slices before adding the meat breading. This ensures quick cooking and a large surface area for maximum crispy coating.

1
Flatten meat into cutlets using a tenderizing utensil. Follow recipe specifications, which usually call for half-inch or thinner pieces of meat.
2
Pour flour into a pie pan.

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3
Beat eggs in a shallow bowl big enough to hold 1 cutlet.
4
Place breadcrumbs in another pie pan, if your recipe calls for them.
5
Dredge cutlets, 1 at a time, first in flour, then in eggs and then in either flour or breadcrumbs, to bread meat according to your recipe.
6
Set each breaded cutlet aside on a plate or rack, allowing them to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Breading Chops and Chicken Pieces

Whole pieces of chicken and pork, with or without the bone, need more rigorous preparation and longer cooking time. Because these dishes usually don’t rely on a sauce for extra flavor, bread meat chops and pieces with seasoned crumbs.

1
Season either the flour or the breadcrumbs as per your recipe. Common seasonings for fried chicken or meat breading for pork chops include salt; black pepper; dried thyme, marjoram, basil and paprika; and garlic powder.
2
Place flour in a pie pan or paper bag.
3
Beat eggs in a shallow bowl large enough to fit all your meat pieces. Some fried chicken recipes suggest adding milk or water to eggs and allowing the meat to soak in this mixture for 5 to 10 minutes.
4
Pour breadcrumbs into another pie pan, for pork or oven-fried chicken.
5
Dredge chops or chicken in the pan of flour or shake them in a bag to make sure they’re well coated.
6
Dip your meat in the eggs and then dredge it again in either the flour or seasoned breadcrumbs specified by your recipe. Use your hands to press the coating onto the meat flesh or skin.
7
Let the chops or chicken rest so the meat breading starts to solidify before cooking.
8
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

Which works best to season meat properly?

GrowingNana

Community Answer

Both can work, just add the desired seasonings such as salt, pepper, and/or garlic into the flour or the bread crumbs.
Question

Can I bread cutlets the night before I fry them? If so, how do I store them?

GrowingNana

Community Answer

Store them in a sealed airtight container in the fridge, wrapped in towels to keep the bread from becoming soggy.

Warnings

Heat your cooking oil to a high enough temperature to cause immediate sizzling when you drop in the breaded meat. This will keep the breading in place and make it crispy.

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Don’t leave any bald spots on breaded cutlets, which produces a spotty texture that absorbs more oil and encourages slabs of breading to fall off while cooking.

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