These breaded turkey escalopes make a very quick, easy, family friendly meal for busy evenings.
They only take a few minutes to prepare and cook and it's also simple to vary the herbs and spices according to your taste.
Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, all you need is your favourite sauce and a salad on the side.
Bon appétit.
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I've always been a fan of breaded poultry, from Halloumi Fries to Breaded Brie, I can't resist baked or fried breadcrumbs on anything.
So, these breaded turkey escalopes tick all the boxs for me. Crunchy panko, a few herbs and spices and the zing of lemon zest for extra flavour, mean that these are perfect for a quick, unfussy dinner that the whole family will tuck into.
❤️ Why you will love this dish
- Quick to make a cook.
- Bake or fry.
- Easy to vary the spices and herbs.
- Family friendly dinner.
- Makes a great chicken sandwich or burger!
🤔 FAQs
In French, an escalope literally means a shelled nut or scallop, perhaps referring to the thin shell.
The name appeared in rural France, where veal was the meat used. Before the term escalope, the name paillard was used, to refer to a thin piece of meat, requiring very quick cooking.
It's a boneless piece of meat, typically from the poultry breast or fillet on pork, beef or veal. Other, cheaper cuts can also be used.
The meat is either cut very thinly or pounded flat, whick helps to break down the fibres and tenderise the meat.
Although an escalope is often breaded and fried, it can also be stuffed and rolled to make a roulade.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Breadcrumbs - panko breadcrumbs. These are Japanese breadrumbs, which are larger and cut differently to other bought breadcrumbs. They give a great crunch to the breading.
- Flour - plain or all ourpose flour.
- Egg - medium free range egg.
- Turkey - pack of 4 turkey breast steaks or escalopes.They should ideally be thin cut, about half a centimetre. If they are not thin enough, place the turkey between two pieces of plastic wrap. Use something heavy and flat, like a small saucepan to flatten the turkey evenly.
- Lemon - the zest of an unwaxed lemon. It actually work better to use an older lemon that is just passed its peak. This means the zest won't be as wet and will mix better with the breadcrumbs.
- Herbs - dried mixed herbs, such as a mixture of marjoram, basil, oregano and time.
- Seasoning - freshly ground black pepper and salt.
- Garlic - garlic powder to add flavour, rather than fresh garlic which would add too much moisture.
- Oil - oil for shallow fying.
The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.
🍽 Equipment
- large frying pan or skillet
- lemon zester
- baking parchment
🔪 Instructions
Zest the lemon.
💭 Top Tip
- When zesting you will have greater control if you use a microplance grater. The aim is just to remove the yellow zest and leave the white pith behind. The pith is bitter and will change the flavour of the dish.
Put the panko breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl.
Add the lemon zest, salt, pepper, mixed herbs and garlic powder and stir to combine.
Break the egg into another bowl and whisk to combine.
Put the flour into another bowl.
Line a baking tray with parchment.
Dip each turkey escalope into the flour then the egg and then the panko breadcrumbs.
Place on the parchment.
💭 Top tip
- Breading can get messy. I find it's easier to use one hand to dip into the dry ingredients and the other for the egg.
- To make it easier, use a fork or tongs to dip the escalopes.
- For even breading, make sure that the flour, egg and panko throughly cover the surface before the next stage.
- Ideally, refrigerate the turkey for 15 minutes before cooking to firm up.
⏲️Cooking Time
Put the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.
You can fry these in 2 tablespoons of oil, but I find that the colour is more even if there is a layer of oil in the bottom of the pan.
Fry for 3 minutes and then turn over for a further 3 minutes.
At this stage you may need to add more oil.
Drain on kitchen paper before serving.
If you prefer to cook the turkey in the oven, place on a rack over a grill pan.
Preheat the oven to 220 C / 425 F / 200 FAN / Gas 7 and bake for about 10 minutes until golden and cooked through.
For a golden colour, spray the escalopes with cooking spray.
Serve with some lemon slices or wedges if liked.
🥗 Side Dishes
Simply serve with new potatoes, mash, rice or pasta or try some of these side dishes.
- Potatoes Dauphinoise
- Chateau Potatoes
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Boursin Mashed Potatoes
- Fondant Potatoes
- Potatoes Aligot
- Potatoes Rissole
- Potatoes Boulangere
- Boursin Mashed Potatoes
- Sarladaise Potatoes
- Potatoes Parisienne
- Parmentier Potatoes
- Duchess Potatoes
🥙 Substitutions
- Panko Breadcrumbs - use plain dried breadcrums or make your own with stale bread. Remove the crusts form bread and clend in a food processor until the crumb stage. Place the crumbs on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake in a preheated oven at 220 C / 425 F / 200 FAN / Gas 7 for about 10 minutes.
- Egg - use mayonnaise in place of egg.
📖 Variations
- Meat - use chicken, pork, steak or veal. Use pork fillet or shoulder chops.
- Favours - swap the herbs for parsley, tarragon or sage and try adding half a teaspoon of chilli powder or flakes, 2 teaspoons of cajun spice or paprika.
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - cool, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer - wrap in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
- To reheat - place on a baking tray in a preheated oven at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4 for about 10 minutes or until heated through.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- Prepare the turkey escalopes in advance and store in the fridge until you are ready to cook. Don't leave them for more than a few hours as the breadcrumbs will become soggy and lose their texture and crunch.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More recipes with panko breadcrumbs
📋 Recipe
Breaded Turkey Escalopes
Equipment
- large frying pan or skillet
- Lemon zester
- Baking parchment
Ingredients
- 100 g panko breadcrumbs
- 100 g plain flour
- 1 egg
- 320 g turkey breast steaks ½ centimetre thick
- zest 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon oil or more to cover the bottom of the pan.
Instructions
- Zest the lemon.
- Put the panko breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl. Add the lemon zest, salt, pepper, mixed herbs and garlic powder and stir to combine.
- Break the egg into another bowl and whisk to combine. and place the flour into another bowl.
- Line a baking tray with parchment.
- Dip each turkey escalope into the flour then the egg and then the panko breadcrumbs, then place on the parchment.
- Put the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.
- Fry for 3 minutes and then turn over for a further 3 minutes.
- Drain on kitchen paper before serving.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
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Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.
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Dannii
I made these for my kids and they loved them. So easy to make too.
Karen (Back Road Journal)
Your turkey escalopes are perfect for a weeknight meal because they are so easy and quick to prepare.
veenaazmanov
This is just the perfect starter option for Dinner. So easy and quick too. All ingredients easily available in my kitchen.
Stephanie
This turkey escalopes recipe is one of those dishes going into my recipe box! Not only is the recipe easy and quick to make - it is quite delicious and satisfying.
Helen
My Mum used to make something like this! Thanks for the reminder and for the great recipe and instructions 🙂
Kechi
We loved this recipe and it was very flavorful with the lemon zest! I look forward to making it again!
Tavo
Wow, those Breaded Turkey Escalopes were a hit at my dinner table! The breading was perfectly crispy, and the turkey was juicy and flavorful. Your step-by-step guide made it so easy to follow along, and those little tips you threw in were super helpful. Seriously, this dish is a new staple in my kitchen.
Beth
These look so good! I think I'm going to make these tomorrow with some mashed potatoes and broccoli. Yummo!
Elisa
We love making this Breaded Turkey Escalope's recipe, it was a hit in the house. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Jen
These were really delicious! I loved the flavor of the lemon that shined through.
Carrie Robinson
I am with you- I love just about anything with a light, crispy breading! 😉 These look absolutely delicious.
TAYLER ROSS
We eat turkey all year round at our house, and this breaded turkey looks incredible! Can't wait to make it for dinner soon!