Delish's breading whisks together a cup of sesame seeds with flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and grated Parmesan, then presses the chicken into the mixture until pea-size clumps form and cling to the cutlet (Delish). This chicken parmesan with sesame seed breading is genuinely different from a standard panko crust like the one in Bon Appétit's giant chicken Parm, nuttier and more textured, but it isn't a low-starch coating (Bon Appétit).

Flour and cornstarch are both present in real quantity, so the claim that this crust is "crunchy enough to stand up to plenty of sauce and cheese" comes from Delish's own recipe description, not an independent test (Delish).

The specific fix ATK verified for sogginess is narrower than a general flavor swap: replacing most of the breadcrumbs with grated Parmesan, because cheese carries no starch and resists moisture far better than crumbs do (ATK). Sesame seeds weren't part of that testing. The honest claim here is about flavor and mouthfeel, not proof that sesame solves sogginess on its own.

ATK's breakdown, reached after frying countless test cutlets, isolates three separate failure points. Starchy breading absorbs liquid and softens. Sauce that fully covers the cutlet exposes the maximum amount of crust to the maximum amount of moisture. And extended time under the broiler, waiting for cheese to melt, gives sauce more time to soak in before serving (ATK).

Its three corresponding fixes follow directly: use a less starchy crust where possible, thicken the sauce and use less of it, and put the cheese down first so it melts directly onto the cutlet and forms a barrier before any sauce touches it (ATK).

ATK's own recipe puts this into practice. Shredded mozzarella and fontina go straight onto the fried cutlet and broil until melted, and only two tablespoons of sauce are added per serving afterward, with the rest passed separately at the table (ATK Classes, published earlier this year). That cheese-first order differs from the sauce-first layering in both Delish's original assembly and Bon Appétit's giant cutlet, where sauce goes on before the cheese (Delish; Bon Appétit).

What follows adapts Delish's coating and frying steps to ATK's tested sequencing. Delish's Test Kitchen approved the coating and frying method on its own; ATK tested its sequencing principles separately, in its own recipe. This is where the two meet, not a combination either source has run as a single tested recipe.

Have these on hand before starting:

• 2 (8-oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup buttermilk, ¼ cup Dijon mustard, 3½ tsp. kosher salt, divided
• 1 cup sesame seeds, ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup cornstarch, 1 tsp. baking powder, ¾ cup finely grated Parmesan, divided
• ½ to 1 cup peanut or vegetable oil
• 4 cups marinara, 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. harissa paste, ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 5½ cups shredded provolone
• ¼ cup torn fresh basil

(All quantities per Delish.)

One quantity is worth flagging before starting. Delish's ingredient list calls for 5½ cups of shredded provolone across four cutlets, several times more than ATK's roughly one cup of combined mozzarella and fontina for the same four servings (ATK Classes). Delish's recipe doesn't explain the gap, and nothing in the research resolves whether it's intentional or a quirk in the published quantity. A safer starting point is closer to a cup and a half spread across the four cutlets, checking that the provolone covers the surface without pooling before adding more.

1. Butterfly and pound the chicken to ¼ inch thick. Slice each breast three-quarters of the way through, open it like a book, and pound it thin, well below ATK's standard half-inch cutlet (Delish; ATK Classes). Two breasts make four cutlets.

2. Brine for at least an hour, up to overnight. Whisk the buttermilk, Dijon, and 2 teaspoons of the salt together, then refrigerate the cutlets in the mixture (Delish). The recipe lists a total time of 2 hours 15 minutes; going overnight will run well past that.

3. Coat the cutlets. Combine the sesame seeds, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, ½ cup Parmesan, and remaining 1½ teaspoons salt in a shallow dish. Press each cutlet into the mixture until it clumps and clings, then set the coated cutlets on a wire rack over a baking sheet while the oil heats (Delish).

4. Fry in batches, then drain on paper towels. Heat ½ cup oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, the same visual cue ATK uses in its own version, though ATK calls for a 10-inch skillet and this recipe doesn't specify one (Delish; ATK Classes). Fry the cutlets in batches of two rather than crowding the pan, about 4 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through, then transfer to paper towels (Delish; ATK Classes). Check doneness with a thermometer rather than relying on color: a golden crust can look finished before the chicken is.

5. Cheese first, not sauce first. Arrange the fried cutlets without overlapping on a baking sheet. Divide the shredded provolone and remaining ¼ cup Parmesan evenly across the four cutlets, then broil until melted and browned in spots. ATK gives 2 to 4 minutes for its mozzarella-fontina cheese-first recipe; provolone runs in a similar range, but watch it rather than trusting the clock, since the cheese and quantity here aren't the ones ATK tested (ATK; ATK Classes; Delish, ingredient quantities only).

6. Top each cutlet with about 2 tablespoons of the harissa marinara after broiling, and serve immediately. That's the amount ATK's tested recipe puts directly on the cutlet, reserving the rest to pass at the table (ATK Classes). That logic, that time and sauce contact are what break a crust down, motivates the adaptation here (ATK).

For a faster, saucier route, Delish's original assembly works fine: sauce in the dish, chicken on top, more sauce over it, then cheese, broiled 5 to 6 minutes (Delish). It's simpler, closer to a traditional chicken Parm bake, and trades some crust integrity for convenience.

The full recipe calls for 4 cups of marinara mixed with a tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons of harissa paste and ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (Delish). Delish describes harissa as a smoky Tunisian chili paste that adds heat and complexity to the marinara (Delish). Taste before serving and adjust; treat that ratio as a starting point, not a fixed rule.

Whichever assembly method gets used, reserve most of the sauce instead of pouring it all over the chicken. ATK's version tops each cutlet with just 2 tablespoons and serves the remainder separately, enough, by design, to also dress four servings of pasta (ATK Classes).

Thickness matters as much as quantity. ATK simmers its marinara for about 20 minutes specifically to cook off water before the sauce ever touches the chicken (ATK Classes). If the harissa marinara looks thin, give it extra time on the stove well before it's anywhere near the crust.

A coating that won't cling usually means the cutlet wasn't dry enough before dredging, or wasn't pressed hard enough into the sesame mixture. Press firmly and give bare patches a second pass (Delish).

Sesame seeds tend to scorch faster than plain breadcrumbs. Keep the heat at medium-high rather than high, and pull the cutlets the moment they turn golden rather than waiting for a deeper color.

Crowding the pan drops the oil's temperature and steams the coating instead of frying it, the same reasoning behind ATK's two-cutlets-at-a-time approach (ATK Classes). Give each cutlet room, even if it means an extra batch.

Excess sauce is still the biggest risk to a crisp crust, sesame or otherwise. However careful the crust and cheese sequencing, a heavy ladle of harissa marinara will soften it regardless (ATK).

Pasta, garlic bread, or mashed potatoes all work for soaking up the reserved sauce, per Delish's own suggestion (Delish). Serve the crispy sesame seed chicken cutlets as soon as possible to limit further sauce contact.

The dish contains sesame, dairy, and gluten from the ingredients list; add peanut to that list only if peanut oil is used instead of the vegetable oil option. Flag all four for guests before serving.

Two versions exist here, and the choice comes down to what matters more: crust integrity or convenience. Build the sesame-Parmesan crust and brine as Delish lays it out, then broil the cheese before any sauce goes near the cutlet, reduce or thicken the marinara, and use about 2 tablespoons per cutlet for the crispest likely result. Skip straight to Delish's original sauce-first layering for the faster, wetter, more traditional version instead.

The cheese-first, sesame-crusted combination applies ATK's tested anti-sogginess fixes to a coating ATK never tested, so treat it as a reasoned adaptation rather than a guaranteed result. Either way, get the cutlets to the table while the cheese is still bubbling.