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It does not get more homey than breaded cutlets fried golden brown and served with a savory pan gravy. Crispy chicken cutlets with herbed Carolina Gold rice and pan gravy is a forkful of Southern comfort!
If you love fried chicken, you won’t want to miss my recipes for oven fried chicken drumsticks and this chicken-fried chicken with country gravy!
Introduction
Crispy chicken with herbed Carolina Gold rice and scratch pan gravy may not stand out as a fancy dish. Each element of this meal is conventional, but the combination of chicken and rice is the core of Southern cooking. Charleston, South Carolina was built on cotton, indigo, and especially rice. It is said that without rice, the City of Charleston as we know it today would simply not exist.
Pilau (pronounced “per-loo” in Gullah culture) is a quintessential Lowcountry rice dish, traditionally steamed with meat, shellfish, or vegetables in a seasoned broth. This dish is a great example of how Charleston chefs combine European and Lowcountry cuisine in a delicious way.
Ingredients
Wondering what ingredients you need to recreate this simple chicken cutlets and rice with gravy at home? Grab these key ingredients, and you’ll be ready to start cooking!
- Panko Breadcrumbs: These add a wonderful crunch to the cutlet breading! Use fresh homemade breadcrumbs if you want, but they won’t be as crispy.
- Smoked Paprika: For my dish, I used my bourbon smoked paprika. The scant addition of this spice is sweet, a little smoky, and really, really delicious.
- Homemade Chicken Stock: I am always sure to use homemade chicken stock for the most flavorful gravy.
- Carolina Gold Rice: This unique type of rice has been cultivated in the Charleston area for over 200 years and is delicious in this recipe! I like to flavor it with softened, salted butter and fresh chopped herbs from my garden.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Rice and Gravy
- Prepare the chicken. Pound the chicken breasts to 3/4-inch thick, then bread each piece by dipping it first in beaten egg, then in the herbed panko mixture. Cook them in a large skillet for 3-5 minutes per side, or until golden. Bake in a 350°F oven until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Make the pan gravy. Whisk melted butter and flour in the same skillet you used to cook the chicken, cooking it for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock, salt, and pepper and cook until thickened, whisking frequently, about 2-5 minutes.
- Make the herbed rice. Combine the cooked rice with butter, parsley, chives, thyme, salt, and pepper and set aside.
- Plate and serve. Scoop two large spoonfuls of rice onto each plate, then top the rice with one cutlet and a small amount of gravy. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
My chicken cutlets are cooked twice. First, I fry each cutlet in a greased skillet for 3-5 minutes per side, or until the breading is golden and crispy. Then, I bake the cutlets in a 350°F oven until they are cooked through, about 10 more minutes. This means it will take about 13-15 minutes to cook chicken cutlets.
Make sure to shake off the excess egg before dipping it in the breadcrumb mixture. Also, use your hands to press the breadcrumbs onto the egg-coated chicken, as this will help them stick to the egg.
I recommend dipping your chicken cutlets in egg first so the breadcrumb mixture can stick to the meat. Otherwise, the breadcrumbs may not hold to the meat, and will simply become soggy from the egg.
Serving Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Rice and Gravy
I recommend rounding out this simple Southern meal with a light salad, like this marinated fresh fig and mozzarella salad or this strawberry blueberry salad with balsamic vinaigrette. For dessert, serve this with a slice of strawberry pretzel pie for a vintage touch, or opt for something indulgent with this apple bottom bourbon cheesecake instead!
Expert Tips
- Don’t have 6 chicken breasts? Simply use 3 chicken breasts halved lengthwise.
- When making the gravy, use the same skillet that you used to cook the chicken. The flavorful bits remaining in the skillet will make the gravy so much better.
- If the gravy is too thick, stir in up to 1/2 cup more broth, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
- Can’t find Carolina Gold rice? Substitute with arborio or basmati rice. Cook the rice according to the package directions, then add 1-2 tablespoons of butter, or enough to make it slightly sticky. I recommend using Carolina Gold rice, though, as it’s what I’ve tested this recipe with.
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Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Herbed Rice & Gravy
Equipment
- carbon steel skillet or a cast iron skillet
Ingredients
For the Chicken Cutlets
- 6 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 3 chicken breasts halved lengthwise
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper, divided
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning, or Herbes de Provence
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, such as this bourbon-smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons good-quality olive oil
For the Pan Gravy
- ¼ cup salted butter, softened
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups homemade chicken stock, or full-fat chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
For the Rice
- 4 cups hot, cooked Charleston Gold rice, or another short-grained white rice
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, and flatten to about 3/4-inch thickness, using a rolling pin or flat side of a meat mallet. Sprinkle chicken with 1 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper.
- Whisk together eggs and milk in a shallow dish. Stir together panko, Italian seasoning or Herbes de Provence, smoked paprika, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in another shallow dish.
- Dip chicken, 1 piece at a time, in egg mixture, shaking off excess; dredge in panko mixture, coating well and pressing to adhere.
- Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large carbon steel skillet over medium. Cook 3 chicken breasts in skillet until golden, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pan, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining butter, oil, and chicken.
- Bake the fried cutlets in the preheated oven until chicken is cooked through (has an internal temperature of 165°F), about 10 minutes.
Make the Pan Gravy
- Using the same skillet in which you cooked the chicken, combine the butter and flour over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it's bubbly, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock, then add the salt and black pepper.
- Cook, whisking often, until mixture comes to a boil and is smooth and thick, about 2-5 minutes.
Make the Herbed Rice
- Combine the cooked rice with the remaining ingredients in a bowl, stirring until the butter is melted.
Plate the Dish
- Mound 2 large spoonfuls of the herbed rice in the center of each plate. Using tongs, transfer 1 cutlet to each plate, standing the cutlet up on the rice at an angle. Top with a small amount of the gravy. Garnish with additional chopped herbs or handfuls of fresh thyme. Be sure to have the remaining gravy on the table for passing. Enjoy!
Notes
- When making the gravy, use the same skillet that you used to cook the chicken. The flavorful bits remaining in the skillet will make the gravy so much better.
- If the gravy is too thick, stir in up to 1/2 cup more broth, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
- Can’t find Carolina Gold rice? Substitute with arborio or basmati rice. Cook the rice according to the package directions, then add 1-2 tablespoons of butter, or enough to make it slightly sticky. I recommend using Carolina Gold rice, though, as it’s what I’ve tested this recipe with.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Live in Canada. CAN I use asian or Basmati rice ?
Lew, yes; absolutely you may use an alternate rice. Basmati is a good choice because of its texture. Cook the rice according to the package directions and start with 1 Tablespoon of butter versus 2 – if the rice is not becoming sticky once the herbed butter mixture has been added, I would then advise to simply melt an additional 1 Tablespoon of butter into the rice. Since I have not tested this recipe using anything but Carolina Gold, it is hard for me to know what 2 Tablespoons will do to the texture of other types of rice. Let me know how you enjoy the recipe should you make it – it’s worth it! x – Jenny
Many thanks Jenny.
Impresssed by your excellent instructions. I try/use a good dealof recipes from various countries and when I find/receive a recipe I wish to try (and then later maybe send to others) I put it into Word for easy following instructions as you have done.
Lew, thanks for saying so – organization is as important as measuring twice, don’t you agree? x – Jenny
I look forward to trying this recipe. My wife and I visited Charleston in March and purchased a 2 lb. bag of Carolina Gold Rice, it’s by far the best rice we’ve ever had! I continue to buy it online for all my rice dishes, it is well worth the purchase!
Mike, even more so pleased than I am to hear you may try out this chicken and gravy recipe, I am pleased you had the opportunity to visit the Holy City! What did you do, what did you see, and more importantly, what did you think? March is a good month to visit as it is our spring and not too hot yet. It’s my hope you were able to get out to see some of the plantations and gardens or cruise the harbor on a catamaran tour. Visits to Charleston for families with small children means the South Carolina Aquarium, The Children’s Museum, or let ’em run their energy out at our Farmer’s Market at Marion Square. I should be an ambassador for Charleston versus a food blogger, now shouldn’t I?? If you plan to come this way again, you must let me know!
Please send me a little note to tell me how you find this recipe. And I’m so, so glad you know about America’s little secret, Carolina Gold! x- Jenny
Anita and I will try this soon! Thirty years in the South, an hour’s drive from Carolina and I had never heard of Carolina Gold before. Will try it, with a dinnertime prayer of remembrance for the somber history that, as you said, it tells without words. — Cliff and Anita, Virginia.
Cliff, you and your wife should consider a trip down to Charleston – I think you sound like ‘you get it,’ and seeing this – all of this – would give you pause as it has me. The human spirit even in the wake of atrocities is not to be tamed. If you did make the journey, it would be my privilege to spend a day showing you Middleton Place Plantation. I take EVERYBODY who visits me there, so they understand what rice and cotton, but especially rice, meant to the South in the years leading up to the great war.
If you do not have access to Carolina Gold in your grocery, you can always order it from The Charleston Museum. Some part of that revenue goes to the Museum. Otherwise, I do believe I offer a link (affiliate, so I earn from your purchase) in my post. Either way, I bet once you cook it and taste it, you will always want to eat it above all other rice going forward – and it’s American grown so you support American rice growers which is huge by itself. Carolina Gold Rice Foundation / http://www.carolinagoldricefoundation.org
Let me know how you enjoy the recipe once you’ve had the opportunity to fix it. x – Jenny
I so love the hint of sweetness and smokiness from the bourbon smoked paprika. And the herbed Carolina Gold rice was a perfect complement to the crispy chicken. Sharing this recipe to my sister!
Elia, I have been asked by so many readers to share where to get the s://amzn.to/43a2Wzj”>bourbon smoked paprika – linked; it really DOES make a difference in the flavor profile of the overall dish. I will link it in the post, too. Glad you brought this up, and SUPER GLAD you enjoyed the recipe! x- Jenny