Cheesecake Factory Crusted Chicken Romano Recipe, With the Tomato Sauce the Menu Describes
The Cheesecake Factory describes Crusted Chicken Romano as chicken breast in a Romano-Parmesan cheese crust, served with pasta in a light tomato sauce. So this version breads thin cutlets in four parts grated cheese to one part panko, pan-fries them in olive oil and butter, and serves them over spaghetti in a tomato sauce finished with butter and a splash of cream. About 1,131 calories a serving.
Why This Recipe Works
- The crust is cheese, held together by crumbs. The menu calls it a Romano-Parmesan cheese crust, so the coating here is 4 ounces of grated cheese against half a cup of panko. Flip that ratio and you've made the Louisiana Chicken Pasta cutlet instead.
- Eggs are on the allergen list, and an egg dip is the obvious reason. Cheese on its own won't cling to raw chicken; flour, then beaten egg, then the cheese gives it something to grip.
- The sauce is tomato, not cream. "Light tomato sauce" is the menu's phrase. The plate still carries 37 grams of saturated fat, though, more than the cheese crust explains on its own, which is why the sauce here gets 2 tablespoons of butter and a little cream at the end. That part is a reasoned guess.
- Its two crusted cousins list soy and this one doesn't. Parmesan-Herb Crusted Chicken and Chicken Parmesan both carry a soy allergen; Crusted Chicken Romano carries only gluten, milk, eggs and wheat. Whatever coats it, it isn't the same breadcrumb. Plain panko usually has no soy, but read your bag.
Flavor Profile
Salty and sharp at the edges, where the Romano browns, and mild in the middle. The sauce is bright tomato with a round, buttery finish, loose enough to coat spaghetti without drowning the crust.
Ingredients
- 2 lbBoneless skinless chicken breasts4 breasts of about 8 oz each, pounded to 1/2 inch
- 1 tspFine salt1/2 tsp for the chicken, 1/2 tsp for the sauce
- 1/2 tspBlack pepperfreshly ground
- 1/3 cupAll-purpose flourfor dredging
- 2 largeEggsbeaten with 1 tbsp water
- 2 ozPecorino Romanofinely grated, about 3/4 cup
- 2 ozParmesanfinely grated, about 3/4 cup
- 1/2 cupPanko breadcrumbscheck the label for soy
- 4 tbspOlive oil3 tbsp for frying, 1 tbsp for the sauce
- 3 tbspUnsalted butter1 tbsp for frying, 2 tbsp cold for the sauce
- 3 clovesGarlicthinly sliced
- 1 pinchRed pepper flakes
- 1 can (28 oz)Crushed tomatoes
- 1/3 cupHeavy cream
- 12 ozSpaghetti
- 4 leavesFresh basiltorn
- 2 tbspFresh parsleychopped
Equipment
- 12-inch nonstick or cast-iron skillet
- Meat mallet or a heavy pan, for pounding
- Microplane or the small holes of a box grater
- Three shallow dishes, for breading
- Wire rack set over a baking sheet
- Instant-read thermometer
- Large pot for the pasta
Instructions
- 1
Start the sauce
Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic turns pale gold, about 2 minutes. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt, bring to a bubble, then simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes while you do the chicken.
Visual Success Cues:- Garlic golden, not brown
- Sauce thickened slightly and less sharp
- 2
Pound and season the chicken
Lay each breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound it to an even 1/2 inch. Pat dry and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the black pepper.
- 3
Set up the breading
Put the flour in one dish and the beaten eggs in a second. In the third, mix the Romano, Parmesan and panko with your fingers.
- 4
Bread the cutlets
Dredge each cutlet in flour and shake off the excess, dip it in egg and let it drip, then press it into the cheese mixture on both sides. Lay the cutlets on the rack and chill for 10 minutes.
Visual Success Cues:- No bare patches of chicken showing
- 5
Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti 1 minute short of the packet time. Save 1/2 cup of the water, then drain.
- 6
Fry the chicken
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet over medium heat until the butter foams. Fry two cutlets at a time for 3 to 4 minutes a side, until deep golden. Move them to the rack and keep them in a 200°F oven while you fry the rest.
Visual Success Cues:- 165°F in the thickest part
- Crust golden brown, not dark
- 7
Finish the sauce
Take the sauce off the heat. Stir in the cream, then the cold butter a piece at a time, and the torn basil. Taste for salt.
Visual Success Cues:- Pale tomato-pink and glossy
- 8
Toss the pasta
Add the spaghetti to the sauce with a splash of the pasta water and toss over low heat for 1 minute, until it clings.
- 9
Serve
Plate the pasta, lay a cutlet beside it, and spoon a little sauce over one end of the chicken only. Scatter the parsley.
Pro Tips to Nail It
- Grate the cheese yourself, on the small holes. Pre-grated Parmesan in a shaker has anti-caking powder in it and browns in patches.
- Pound the cutlets to an even 1/2 inch. Cheese burns long before a thick breast cooks through.
- Chill the breaded cutlets for 10 minutes before they hit the pan. The coating sets and stays on.
- Keep the heat at medium. Romano scorches fast, and medium-high will give you a bitter crust around a raw centre.
- Hold the cooked cutlets on a rack in a 200°F oven, never on paper towels, where the underside steams soft.
- Spoon the sauce beside the chicken, or over just half of it. Once the whole crust is covered, it softens fast.
Estimated Nutrition
Per serving- Calories
- 1131 calories
- Total fat
- 47.7 g
- Saturated fat
- 18.9 g
- Carbohydrates
- 94.5 g
- Sugars
- 12.2 g
- Protein
- 79.8 g
- Sodium
- 1606 mg
- Fiber
- 7.2 g
Estimated per serving from USDA SR Legacy values for every listed ingredient, counting all of the flour, egg, crumbs and frying fat, so the real figure is a little lower. Panko is modelled as plain dry breadcrumbs, at 25 g for half a cup. Pasta-water salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and basil are not counted.
Reference values: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). These are our estimates for the home version.
Troubleshooting Guide
The crust burns before the chicken is cooked
Cause: The pan is too hot, or the cutlets are too thick.
Fix: Pound to 1/2 inch and fry at medium. If the crust is dark and the centre reads under 165°F, finish them on the rack in a 375°F oven for 5 minutes.
The coating slides off in the pan
Cause: The chicken was wet, or the cutlets were turned before the crust set.
Fix: Pat the chicken dry before the flour, press the cheese on firmly, chill for 10 minutes, and leave each side untouched for the first 3 minutes.
The sauce tastes sharp and tinny
Cause: It hasn't simmered long enough.
Fix: Give it the full 15 minutes, then whisk in the butter off the heat. Butter rounds off the acid better than sugar does.
The pasta is dry by the time it's plated
Cause: The sauce went in without any pasta water.
Fix: Loosen it with a few tablespoons of the reserved cooking water as you toss.
Variations & Substitutions
- Four-cheese cream sauce: Swap the tomato sauce for 1 cup heavy cream simmered with 1/2 cup mixed Parmesan, Romano, fontina and mozzarella. It's the version several copycats make. It's heavier, and it isn't what the menu describes, so I'd skip it.
- Oven-baked: Bread the cutlets, set them on an oiled rack, spray the tops with olive oil and bake at 425°F for 16 to 20 minutes, to 165°F inside. You save most of the frying oil and lose some of the crunch.
- Angel hair instead of spaghetti: Thin pasta soaks up a light sauce well, but it overcooks in seconds. Pull it 1 minute before the packet time and finish it in the sauce.
Storage, Reheating & Make-Ahead
Refrigerate the chicken, pasta and sauce separately for up to 3 days. Reheat the cutlets on a rack in a 375°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes so the crust crisps again; the microwave turns it soft. Warm the sauce and pasta together in a pan with a splash of water. Breaded cutlets freeze well for up to 2 months, uncooked, frozen flat on a tray first and then bagged. Fry them from frozen at a slightly lower heat for 2 extra minutes a side.
Copycat vs Restaurant: Cost & Taste
The restaurant's dinner plate lists at $24.95 to $29.95, with 1,800 calories, 107 grams of protein and 4,420 mg of sodium. That sodium is almost twice the 2,300 mg daily value, on one plate. A serving of this version comes to about 1,131 calories and 1,606 mg of sodium. Protein is where the two part ways: the restaurant plate reaches 107 grams, a figure only Chicken Parmesan and the Buffalo Wings beat on the menu, while this version gets 80 grams from one 8-ounce breast per person. Matching the restaurant would take about 12 ounces of raw chicken each.
Serve It With
More Recipe Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
- What sauce comes with Crusted Chicken Romano?
- Pasta in a light tomato sauce, going by the menu. Several copycat recipes serve it with a four-cheese cream sauce instead, which is a different dish.
- What cheese is in the crust?
- Romano and Parmesan. Pecorino Romano is the saltier, sharper of the two, so taste before you add any salt to the breading.
- Is Crusted Chicken Romano gluten-free?
- No. It contains gluten, wheat, milk and eggs. To make this version gluten-free, use rice flour for the dredge, gluten-free panko and gluten-free spaghetti.
- How many calories are in the restaurant's Crusted Chicken Romano?
- 1,800 calories, with 94 grams of fat, 132 grams of carbohydrate, 107 grams of protein and 4,420 mg of sodium.
- How is it different from the Parmesan-Herb Crusted Chicken?
- The Parmesan-Herb Crusted Chicken runs to 1,370 calories and 105 grams of protein, and it lists soy, which Crusted Chicken Romano doesn't. Different crust, and a different plate around it.
- Can I bread the chicken ahead?
- Yes. Bread it up to 4 hours ahead and keep it uncovered on a rack in the fridge. The crust dries a little, and it fries crisper for it.
