Enjoy one of your favorite restaurant meals at home with this copycat version of The Cheesecake Factory's Chicken Costoletta. Boneless chicken lightly breaded in a Panko and lemon crust, fried; then topped with a lemony cream sauce.

We don't dine often at the Cheesecake Factory, usually once or maybe twice a year. But whenever we do, my daughter and I always get the same thing: Chicken Costoletta; which is basically a chicken cutlet with a creamy lemon sauce.
I think she's a lot like me in the sense that we don't like to have a lot of choices. Give me 3-5 things to choose from and I'll pick one. Give me 100, I go for the simplest thing I can find.
If you've never been to their restaurant, their menu is huge with a lot of different varieties of food to choose from. Each time we go, we'll spend some time looking at the menu and then always wind up getting the same thing we normally do.
My daughter and I always say that we're going to split one entree, but we always wind up ordering our own so that we can have leftovers.
So recently I decided to surprise her for dinner one night and make our favorite Cheesecake Factory dish at home. This recipe for Chicken Costoletta was definitely a close second to the original.
It has all of the same flavors we love. On the healthy scale? Not so much, but I'm a sucker for anything lemon.
Ingredients needed
For this recipe you'll need:
- chicken tenderloins
- all purpose flour
- eggs
- panko breadcrumbs
- lemon
- grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- extra virgin olive oil
- butter
And for the sauce you'll need:
- extra virgin olive oil
- all purpose flour
- minced garlic
- milk
- heavy cream
- chicken broth
- lemon juice
- butter
How do you make Chicken Costoletta?
Using a meat mallet, flatten the tenderloins so that they are even in thickness. Gather three bowls. Place the flour in one, the eggs in the second; then whisk them with a fork.
In the third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and cheese. Coat each piece of chicken first in the flour, then the eggs, and then the breadcrumb mixture.
Heat a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat and add the oil and butter. Once melted and hot, add the chicken to the pan and fry on both sides until cooked through; approximately 3-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness.
You may need to do this in two batches. Remove chicken from the pan and drain on paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Set aside and make the sauce.
Start by melting the oil in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat and add the garlic. Saute 1-2 minutes then whisk in the flour. Whisk in the milk, heavy cream, chicken stock and lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat until the sauce has thickened; approximately 3-5 minutes.
Next, stir in the butter and pour desired amount of sauce over the chicken. Most of the ingredients I already had on hand in my pantry except for the heavy cream; which I usually don't purchase unless I know I'll be making a recipe that calls for it.
If you want to lighten this up a bit, I'm sure fat free half and half would work just as well. My family really loves this crispy Cheesecake Factory Chicken Costoletta recipe, I hope yours does too.
Serving Suggestions
The Cheesecake Factory usually serves this with asparagus and mashed potatoes, but you can sub out any other vegetable like green beans or spinach.
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More Copycat Recipes
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- Rigatoni Martino {Carrabba's Copycat}
- Tuscan Chicken (The Cheesecake Factory)
- Bleu Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad (Outback Steakhouse Copycat)
- Santorini Farro Salad (The Cheesecake Factory Copycat)
Visit the recipe index to search for more recipes by category.
Chicken Costoletta (Cheesecake Factory Copycat)
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 8 - (2-ounce) chicken tenderloins
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- zest from 1 lemon
- ¼ cup grated pecorino romano cheese
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
For the Sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup milk
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Using a meat mallet, flatten the tenderloins so that they are even in thickness.
- Gather three bowls. In one, place the flour. In the second, add the eggs and whisk them with a fork. In the third, combine the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and cheese.
- Coat each piece of chicken first in the flour, then the eggs, and then the breadcrumb mixture.
- Heat a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat and add the oil and butter. Once melted and hot, add the chicken to the pan and fry on both sides until cooked through; approximately 3-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness. You may need to do this in two batches.
- Remove chicken from the pan and drain on paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Set aside.
For the Sauce
- Melt the oil in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat and add the garlic.
- Saute 1-2 minutes then whisk in the flour.
- Whisk in the milk, heavy cream, chicken stock and lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat until the sauce has thickened; approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Next, stir in the butter and pour desired amount of sauce over the chicken.
Nutrition
Teresa Di Marco says
Just made this recipe and I love it !!
Reading the comments prior to cooking I did increase the heavy cream to 1 cup.
My husband said this should be my signature dish !! I’m Italian and also cook from scratch.
I’ve just sent this link to my friends and family members who also enjoy cooking.
I cannot wait to try more of your recipes !!
So happy I found your site.
Unbelievable recipes.
Thank you
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I'm so glad you found us and liked the recipe! Thanks for stopping back to let us know Teresa!
Carmelita says
My boyfriend loved! He loves ordering this so of course I had to try to make it from home! Thank you for this recipe! It was a hit!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
You're welcome! I'm so glad you liked the recipe!
william brian hay says
I make this dish at least twice a month. It is always good. The variations I've tried were to use 1 cup of heavy cream and I usually double the amount of garlic and lemon juice. But over all an amazing recipe.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Thank you and I'm so glad you enjoy the recipe!
Caissa says
Made this last night and YUMMY! This is my favorite dish at Cheesecake so I paired with sauteed asparagus and homemade red scalloped potatoes. The bf really liked it especially the sauce. Thanks!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I'm so glad you liked it Caissa, thanks for trying the recipe!
Lillian Duran says
Making this today at home can't wait to try it might have to try it for my birthday dinner at the Cheesecake factory I always have the Chipotle pasta that's my favorite but willing to change it up.... serving it with mashed potatoes and maybe the asparagus as well but for sure the mashed potatoes.... thank you for the recipe
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hanh D says
Can't wait to make this for the second time! Tastes pretty close to the real thing. DELICIOUS
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Thank you Hanh, I'm so glad you enjoy it!
Zach says
Tasted good, definitely just needed a touch of salt and maybe pepper. Great recipe and method! Thanks!!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Thanks Zach, it absolutely needs salt. I salt everything, probably too much, so I don't cook with it and always suggest to add your own according to your own tastes. I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Holli says
Delicious, everyone loved it, I made it with Chipotle copycat cilantro lime rice and oven roasted asparagus.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Holli and that rice sounds amazing!
Lois says
Forget breadcrumbs! Use Panko, which is what is used at the Cheesecake Factory to create the extra crispiness.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Hi Lois, thanks for the tip but I did use Panko Breadcrumbs in recipe. They really do make a difference!
Max says
Well.. it looks odd.... but whenever me and my wife get to US... guess what... we look for the cheesecake factory.... and this dish.... gonna try tonight!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I hope you enjoy it!
Krystina says
Do you think you could make the sauce ahead of time?
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Absolutely!
Sandy says
We LOVE this dish @ Cheesecake Factory. At the last min I tried your recipe for the sauce....OMG, its amazing!! To us it is a perfect match for the real thing, color, consistency and TASTE! Super easy to make. Trying the entire recipe tonight for his birthday, at his request! Ty soo much!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
You're very welcome Sandy! We love it too and thought it was a close 2nd to the real thing. Happy Birthday and I hope he enjoys the meal!
Holly says
OMG!!! I just made this tonight for Sunday dinner and it was AMAZING!! Thank you Carrie! This is my favorite meal at Cheesecake Factory and now I can make it at home 🙂
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I'm so glad you liked it Holly! It's one of our favorites as well.
Salena says
YUMMY!!!! This was delicious!!! I made it today and it tasted just as good if not better than Cheesecake Factory's! Thank you so much for sharing!
carrieexpktchn@optonline.net says
Thank you for stopping back to let me know Salena, I really appreciate it and I'm so glad you enjoyed it. We loved it too!
Leigh says
Hi Carrie,
Is there enough sauce to serve this over pasta or should I double the sauce part of the recipe?
Thanks!
Leigh
carrieexpktchn@optonline.net says
Hi Leigh, I would make extra. The sauce soaks into chicken and doesn't leave a lot extra for pasta. Enjoy!
Layla says
Dear Carrie,
My boyfriend is such a big fan of this dish. He ordered the chicken costoletta his first time at the CheeseCake Factory and has never ordered anything new since. I hope he enjoys the homemade one as much as the cheesecake factory dish. Lol!
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I am grateful (:
carrieexpktchn@optonline.net says
Hi Layla,
My oldest daughter and I always get this dish as well. The portion is large enough for the both of us, but we each get our own so we have leftovers. This is a pretty good copycat to the original and we loved it. I hope your boyfriend does as well! 🙂
M.J. Vee says
Carrie: This looks wonderful. I have been to the Cheesecake factory and have never tried it. I will try yours soon. Thanks for sharing! M..J.
Carrie Farias says
HI MJ thank you so much! It's so simple which is why we love it. Enjoy!