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Chicken Scallopini, a 15-minute dinner idea, is a weekly menu staple in my home (and will soon be in yours, too!). The easy one-skillet recipe features pan-fried chicken in a punchy lemon-butter sauce.
Megganโs notes
Letโs take a trip to Italy, where โscallopineโ is just an elegant way to say โchicken breast.โ My 15-minute skillet dinner puts this versatile, Midwest-favorite protein pick to delicious use in a piccata-esque feast.
The results are crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and swirled in a luscious lemon butter sauce thatโs begging to be sopped up with warm bread. Or spoon it all over cooked pasta.
Either and all the ways, Chicken Scallopini is a weeknight dinner winner.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken breast cutlets: Most grocery stores stock chicken cutlets, but if you canโt find them, set the chicken breasts flat on a cutting board. Working with one breast at a time, place your palm on top of the breast and slice it in half horizontally, cutting all the way through. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Olive oil or clarified butter: Pan-fry in either fat.ย Discover how to clarify butterย at home, which is a simple process that removes the water and milk solids from whole butter. For a store-bought swap, look for ghee (another type of clarified butter) at the supermarket or online.ย
- Dry white wine: Choose your favorite; Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Gris, or Sauvignon Blanc all work well. You only need 4 ounces, so put the other 21.4 ounces to use as a beverage pairing alongside this chicken dinner. For an alcohol-free substitute, use ยฝ cup vegetable broth or chicken broth instead.
Step by step instructions
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Dredge each cutlet in flour and shake lightly to remove excess.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.
- Add wine and lemon juice to skillet, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom. Remove from heat and whisk in butter until incorporated. Stir in capers.
- Add chicken and any accumulated juices back to pan. Swirl to coat the chicken with sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 adult servings, each with two 3-ounce pieces of chicken.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The chicken can be coated with flour and stored in the refrigerator (covered or wrapped in plastic) up to a day in advance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any kind of cooked pasta is terrific; spoon the chicken and sauce on top so it can soak up all the goodness. Try the same strategy with mashed potatoes (garlic mashed potatoes, Boursin mashed potatoes, 3-ingredient mashed potatoes, or make-ahead mashed potatoes; you canโt go wrong). Or simply set out a basket of crusty bread, such as wedges of toasted No-Knead Bread, to soak up the lemony sauce.
In addition to cutting down on clean-up time, deglazing the pan with white wine welcomes the flavorful chicken drippings to the sauce. The little bits left in the pan after cooking protein are a free and fast way to amp up the flavor of your sauce.
Delicious serving suggestions
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Chicken Scallopini
Ingredientsย
- 8 (3-ounce) chicken breast cutlets (see note 1)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (see note 2)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup capers drained
- 2 tablespoons butter cold
- minced fresh parsley and lemon wedges, for serving
Instructionsย
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Dredge each cutlet in flour and shake lightly to remove excess.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.
- Add wine and lemon juice to skillet, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom. Remove from heat and whisk in butter until incorporated. Stir in capers.
- Add chicken and any accumulated juices back to pan. Swirl to coat the chicken with sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Chicken breast cutlets: Most grocery stores stock chicken cutlets, but if you canโt find them, set the chicken breasts flat on a cutting board. Working with one breast at a time, place your palm on top of the breast and slice it in half horizontally, cutting all the way through. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Dry white wine:ย Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Viognier are my favorite varieties of dry cooking wines.
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 adult servings, each with two 3-oz. pieces of chicken.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
I love recipes like this one: simple with wonderful flavor, yet elegant enough to still impress. I served it with pasta dressed with an herb and garlic ricotta sauce. Thank you for this recipe!
Youโre so welcome, Greg! Iโm so glad you loved it! โ Meggan