Crusted Chicken Romano (Cheesecake Factory Copycat!)

This extra-crispy Crusted Chicken Romano is a tender, juicy chicken cutlet coated in a delicious blend of Romano cheese, Parmesan cheese, and panko breadcrumbs. It’s the perfect copycat of the Cheesecake Factory recipe. Plus it uses only 6 ingredients and can be on the table in under 30 minutes!

If you have ordered this dish from the Cheesecake Factory you know their Crusted Chicken Romano is a thin chicken breast that is coated in a crispy Parmesan and Romano crust that’s served with spaghetti noodles tossed in a light tomato sauce. It’s delicious!

This Chicken Romano recipe is a lot like our Crispy Chicken Parmesan except that the dominating flavor profile is the more robust Romano cheese.

Skip to:

• Why it’s great!
• Ingredients for crusted chicken romano
• Helpful kitchen tools
• How to make crusted chicken romano
• What to serve with chicken romano
• FAQs
• Tips and tricks
• Other delicious recipes
• Recipe
• Comments

Why it’s great!

• The delicious flavor. It’s full of real romano cheese flavor. Some recipes only use parmesan cheese but to make it like the Cheesecake Factory recipe it needs romano.
• The extra crispy crust. The ratio of panko to cheese in this recipe produced the best imitation of the crust found on the Chicken Romano at the Cheesecake Factory. Using only cheese produced a chewy not so crunchy exterior. It was missing the light crispiness that panko provides. The breadcrumbs are definitely necessary for producing a spot-on copycat.

Ingredients for crusted chicken romano

• A full list of the ingredients is in the recipe card below, but here are a few noteworthy tips.
• Chicken breasts: Be sure to buy ultra-thin chicken cutlets (or chicken medallions) or cut boneless skinless chicken breasts in half horizontally and pound to ¼ inch thick. This recipe works best with white meat chicken.
• Romano cheese: Sometimes called Pecorino Romano cheese.
• Parmesan cheese: Just a touch rounds out the flavor profile.
• Panko bread crumbs: This specific type of breadcrumb is what produced a similar crust to the one at the Cheesecake Factory. Regular breadcrumbs do not have the same texture.
• Canola oil: Any neutral oil or vegetable oil is a good choice for this. Avoid a highly flavorful oil such as extra virgin olive oil. It will overpower the flavor of the Romano cheese.

Helpful kitchen tools

 

How to make crusted chicken romano

Begin with chicken breasts that have been pounded to about ¼ of an inch thick. It is better for them to be thinner rather than thicker. It really does help the texture of the chicken.  

Before breading the chicken, sprinkle each breast with salt. This trick does two things. It helps keep the chicken flavorful and keeps it juicy.

Then in 3 shallow dishes make the breading components. In dish number one put the flour, in dish number two the mixture of egg and water (egg wash), and in dish three the panko breadcrumbs and cheeses. Now it's time to coat the pieces of chicken.

Breading the chicken

First, dip each piece of chicken in the flour mixture. Shake off all the excess. You are looking for a very small amount of flour to remain on the breast. 

Second, dip the chicken in the egg mixture. Again, allow all the excess to drip off. 

Third, dip in the panko crumbs and cheese mixture. Set aside for 5 minutes. This step will help the breadcrumb mixture stick to the chicken breasts during cooking. 

Cooking instructions

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. I like to use an electric skillet (affiliate) set to 375-400 degrees. Place approximately ¼ inch of oil in the bottom of the pan. Pan fry the breaded chicken cutlets for 4-5 minutes on each side. The end result should be a crispy coating that is golden brown. The chicken breasts should be an internal temperature of 165 degrees. 

Once the breasts are cooked through, remove the Romano chicken from the skillet and place on a cooling rack that is set over paper towels. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

What to serve with chicken romano

A side salad and bread is always a good idea, but at the Cheesecake Factory it is served with spaghetti noodles in a creamy tomato sauce. For that all you need is:

• 1 pound of spaghetti noodles
• 1 jar marinara sauce (I like Barilla but whatever marinara you enjoy)
• Heavy cream or half and half (⅓ to ½ cup)

Start by boiling the pasta noodles. While they are boiling, mix the marinara and cream in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the noodles are almost done, drain them and add the noodles to the skillet. Allow them to finish their last minute of cooking in the sauce. 

This would also be delicious with noodles tossed in alfredo sauce or this lemon and broccoli pasta that’s flavored with lemon zest and lemon juice.

FAQs

Tips and tricks

• Pound the chicken breasts super thin.
• Salt the breasts before breading them.
• Allow the breaded breasts to sit for at least 5 minutes before pan frying them. This step is extremely helpful in allowing the coating to adhere to the chicken during cooking.
• If you don't want to pound your chicken breasts, most supermarkets carry ultra-thin pieces already done for you.

Other delicious recipes

• Apricot Chicken
• Chicken Breasts in Lemon Sauce
• Simple Chicken Piccata with Artichokes
• 4-Ingredient Chicken Marinade
• Red Robin Copycat Campfire Sauce

Recipe