Easy Italian-American Chicken Cutlet and Broccoli Rabe Sandwich
The crispy, garlicky Italian classic you can make at home—even if you’re new to cooking!
The best Italian-American food is rarely found on standard restaurant or pizza shop menus. To get a great Chicken Cutlet and Broccoli Rabe Sandwich, you must hunt down an old-school East Coast deli—or make it yourself. Luckily, this recipe pairs a crispy fried cutlet, garlicky greens, and gooey cheese so perfectly, you won’t have to travel to enjoy one
While this sandwich is famous in local East Coast delis, you don’t have to travel to experience it. Recreating this regional classic in your own kitchen is incredibly easy.
The secret lies in the balance between the crunch of the chicken and the savory bite of the greens. The best part? You don’t need years of cooking experience to get it right. Whether you are looking for a taste of Italian-American food culture or just want to upgrade your weekend lunch, this Chicken Cutlet and Broccoli Rabe Sandwich is a game-changer that anyone can master on the first try.
Chicken Cutlet and Broccoli Rabe Sandwich
1. The Greens: Broccoli Rabe (Rapini)
- What it is: A leafy green vegetable with small broccoli-like buds. It is slightly bitter and savory, not like standard broccoli. Blanching for 2 to 3 minutes mellows the greens.
2. The Bread: Ciabatta
- What it is: A rustic Italian white bread or roll with a crisp crust and a chewy, airy interior that absorbs olive oil perfectly.
3. The Chicken Cutlets
- What to buy: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Look for “chicken cutlets” or “thin-sliced chicken breasts” at the grocery store to skip the step of slicing and pounding them flat yourself.
4. The Cheese: Low-Moisture Mozzarella or Sharp Provolone
- What it is: The classic blocks of cheese you shred and typically use for pizza. It gives you that perfect, iconic “cheese pull” when melted. I do not suggest fresh mozzarella as it is too wet.
Notes From The Kitchen
- If you can’t find broccoli rabe, use broccolini (tenderstem broccoli) or Chinese broccoli (gai lan). For a milder flavor, baby spinach or tuscan kale cooked with extra lemon juice works great.
- Any crusty baguette or panini roll will work. Avoid soft sandwich bread, as it will get soggy from the greens.
- If you can’t find low-moisture mozzarella blocks, you can use Provolone, Fontina, or Monterey Jack for a similar mild and ultra-melty result.
Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions
Step 1: Prep and Sauté the Greens
- Chop: Trim off the bottom 1 or 2 inches of the tough stem ends from your broccoli rabe and chop the rest into bite-sized pieces.
- Boil (Blanch): Drop the greens into boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Beginner tip: This step removes the slight bitterness.
- Sauté: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 2 to 3 minced garlic cloves and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the drained greens, season with salt, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until tender. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the Crispy Chicken Cutlets
- Set up your breading stations: Put 1/2 cup of flour on a plate . Beat 1 egg with a tablespoon of water in a bowl. Put 1 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs on another plate.
- Coat the chicken: Pat your thin chicken cutlets dry with a paper towel. Dip each cutlet into the flour (shake off excess), then the egg, and finally press firmly into the breadcrumbs until fully coated.
- Fry: Heat 1/4 inch of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter (optional) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken on each side just until golden and crispy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Do not overcook as they a very thin. Transfer to a rack or paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt.
Step 3: Assemble and Melt
- Slice and Layer: Slice your ciabatta roll in half horizontally. Layer the crispy chicken on the bottom half, top it generously with the garlicky greens, and lay your slices or shredded low-moisture mozzarella over the greens.
- Toast: Place the open sandwich under your oven’s broiler to melt for about a minute. Watch it closely as low-moisture mozzarella melts quickly..
- Close and Serve: Place the top piece of bread on, cut it in half, and serve hot while the cheese is still perfectly melted.
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Don’t let the unique combination of ingredients fool you—this Chicken Cutlet and Broccoli Rabe Sandwich is a game-changer that anyone can master on the first try. Once you take that first bite of crispy chicken, garlicky greens and melty mozzarella, you’ll see exactly why it’s an East Coast legend.
Have you ever tried broccoli rabe before? Have you ever used it in other recipes like my sausage and broccoli rabe pasta? Drop a comment and let me know your thoughts!
Italian-American Chicken Cutlet and Broccoli Rabe Sandwich
Ingredients
Method
- Chop: trim off the bottom 1–2 inches of tough stem ends from your broccoli rabe and chop the rest bite-sized.
- Blanch: drop the greens into boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. (This removes the slight bitterness.)
- Sauté: heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add the drained greens, season with salt, and cook 3–4 minutes until tender. Set aside.
- Set up breading stations: 1/2 cup flour on a plate; egg beaten with a tablespoon of water in a bowl; 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs on another plate.
- Coat: pat cutlets dry. Dip each into the flour (shake off excess), then the egg, and finally press firmly into the breadcrumbs until fully coated.
- Fry: heat 1/4 inch olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter (optional) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry chicken 1–2 minutes per side just until golden and crispy. Transfer to a rack or paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
- Slice the ciabatta rolls horizontally. Layer crispy chicken on the bottom half, top with the garlicky greens, then mozzarella.
- Place the open sandwich under the broiler for about a minute to melt. Watch closely — low-moisture mozzarella melts quickly.
- Close, cut in half and serve hot while the cheese is still perfectly melted.
This sandwich looks so doggone delicious, even at 7AM! I have some chicken in the fridge waiting to be made into something delicious and since we are about to go to the farmer’s market — I will get some fresh ciabatta bread and I’ll scour the stalls for broccoli rabe. It is sooooo hard to find here for some reason. It’s probably too early for farmer’s markets to have it but I’ve never been successful to find it in any of the stores here. Short of growing my own, I think I’ll have to use spinach or kale or even some thinly sliced broccoli as a substitution. Either way, it looks delicious and it will make our Saturday night supper very special!
Thank you Kelli, I’m glad you like the sandwich. If you have a Sprouts or Natural Market, it might be carried under the name Rapini. Spinach or Tuscan kale would be a good substitute but they would not need blanching before sautéing them in olive oil and garlic. Enjoy,
It looks like a delicious sandwich. A hearty sandwich my husband would like, except for the broccoli. Thanks for giving me a wonderful new recipe. Happy weekend.
Thank you Linda, it really is a delicious sandwich and something a little different from your average chicken sandwich.
This looks like something you’d find at a very high end restaurant serving lunch! Fantastic!
Thank you Jeanie, I appreciate your nice compliment. It is as good as it looks.
Yummy!
Definitely Dorothy, it really is a good sandwich. Thanks!
I’ve been to a big lunch today, but I’m getting hungry again now and your Chicken Cutlet and Broccoli Rabe Sandwich would really hit the spot!
Hi Mad Dog, It would make a nice evening meal. I’m glad you like sandwich.
I’m always ready to try a new chicken sandwich! This looks delicious!
Thank you Jan. I thought most everyone would enjoy this recipe. Garlicky greens and crispy chicken are a very tasty combination.
Karen, this sandwich looks delicious! Thank you for easy to understand instructions and for the recipe. I must try this soon, my husband will love it!
Thank you Pam, it is nice to know that you think my recipes are easy to understand. I find writing the recipe so others can understand how to recreate it to be very important. I really do think this is a delicious chicken sandwich.
That looks like a delicious lunch treat!
I am drooling here Karen. This looks so very delicious! Yum! Ok I know it’s annoying of me to ask but what’s with a cheese pull? I just don’t get it! :=) I don’t care about my cheese being pulled… hehehe …
sherry
I’m glad you like the looks of the chicken cutlet sandwich Sherry. Don’t worry about asking about the “cheese pull”. It is a cooking term that has been around here for about ten years or so. Even if you haven’t seen the term before, I bet you have seen a cheese pull before. It is the gooey strands you see when you separate the two halves of a cheese toasty (grilled cheese) sandwich. It can happen when you spoon out a cheesy casserole or pull two slices of pizza apart. I sometimes forget that many cooking terms and ingredients are called something different depending on where you live. Ask anytime you have a question. 😊
wow — I never saw this in any Philadelphia deli — I would surely have ordered it! Those cutlets look perfect, Karen!
Hi David, New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia claim this sandwich. In the city of Brotherly Love, I’ve heard it called the Philly cutlet but I’m sure it has other names. You will just have to make them for the two of you sometime. I think you would enjoy it. Thank you for your nice compliment.
I will definitely be trying this sandwich, Karen. I’m just still stunned that I’ve never heard of it having grown up in Philly. Well, in the suburbs… I think that’s the problem.I guess my parents kept me pretty sheltered…
Stacked so high this is the ultimate Italian-American comfort food, right between two slices of bread.
It’s rare that I can find broccolirabe but when I do, I’ll be sure to make this sandwich Gorgeous.
This looks and sounds fantastic! Thank you
Loving everything about this deluxe sandwich! The lightly bitter broccoli rabe with the perfectly cooked chicken and cheese is sublime. It’s a hearty sandwich our family would love. Healthy World Cuisine.
Oh this sandwich write‑up had me hungry halfway through the first paragraph, it’s got that perfect mix of old‑school deli nostalgia and “you can totally pull this off at home” energy.
This looks like it came from a posh restaurant. Yum!
Amalia
xo
Sounds deelish!
Hope you are doing well, Karen.
I would have never thought to put these flavor combinations on a sandwhich, Karen. I love chicken but sometimes have a hard time dressing it up passed grilled chicken for salads. Thanks for the recipe. I’m excited to try it! Hugs, CoCo
This sandwich looks so delicious! And it’s a good way to eat get more broccoli in your diet–it’s so good for you! 🙂
I couldn’t agree more with your comments about Italian cooking! Some of the best Italian I’ve ever eaten was homemade…not out at a restaurant. Speaking of good Italian food, this sandwich is absolutely calling my name! I miss the Italian delis we had back in New York state, but I think I can get pretty close to this recipe still. It looks delicious!