Description
Chicken Scallopini from Italy brings a simple, delightful dinner right to your table with tender chicken breasts bathed in a zesty lemon-butter sauce that sings with classic Mediterranean flavors. Serving this dish means treating yourself to a quick, elegant meal that feels like a mini vacation without leaving your kitchen.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Main Components:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
Supporting Ingredients:
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
- Slice chicken breasts horizontally, creating thinner cutlets. Place between plastic wrap and gently pound each piece to ½-inch thickness using a meat mallet.
- Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Coat each cutlet completely in ¼ cup all-purpose flour, shaking off excess.
- Warm 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, approximately 2 minutes.
- Carefully place floured chicken cutlets into hot skillet. Cook for 3 minutes until golden brown on first side, then flip and cook additional 3 minutes.
- Transfer browned chicken to a clean plate. Reduce heat to medium and add minced garlic to skillet, stirring quickly to prevent burning.
- Pour ¼ cup fresh lemon juice and ¾ cup chicken broth into skillet. Use a wooden spoon to scrape accumulated browned bits from pan bottom.
- Simmer sauce for 5 minutes until slightly reduced and slightly thickened. Return chicken to skillet, coating each piece in sauce.
- Plate chicken and spoon remaining pan sauce over cutlets. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
- Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to evenly pound chicken breasts for consistent cooking and tender texture.
- Shake off excess flour to prevent a thick, pasty coating that can become soggy instead of crisp.
- Choose a heavy-bottomed skillet for even heat distribution and better browning of the chicken.
- Allow the sauce to reduce and concentrate flavors before returning chicken to the pan, which helps create a more intense, rich sauce.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Category: Sautéed
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg