Description
Chicken Scaloppine is a classic Italian-American dish featuring tender, thinly pounded chicken breasts sautéed to golden perfection and served with a luscious lemon and caper sauce. This quick and flavorful skillet recipe combines the richness of butter and cream with the brightness of lemon juice and white wine or chicken broth, making it a perfect weeknight meal served over pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pounded to ¼-inch thickness)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup dry white wine or chicken broth
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup heavy cream (optional)
- 2 tablespoons capers (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: In a shallow dish, combine the flour with salt and pepper. Dredge each chicken breast thoroughly in the flour mixture, then shake off any excess to ensure a thin, even coating.
- Cook the chicken: Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until they turn golden brown and are cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
- Deglaze the skillet: Add white wine or chicken broth to the same skillet. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits, which add depth to the sauce.
- Make the sauce: Add the remaining chicken broth and lemon juice to the skillet and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. If using, stir in the heavy cream and capers, cooking for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.
- Reheat the chicken: Return the cooked chicken breasts to the skillet, spoon some sauce over the top, and simmer for an extra minute to warm the chicken through and allow the flavors to meld.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the chicken and serve immediately, pairing well with pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice.
Notes
- This dish pairs beautifully with pasta, mashed potatoes, or rice to soak up the delicious sauce.
- For a lighter version, omit the heavy cream to reduce calories and fat.
- You can use chicken tenders instead of breasts for faster cooking.
- To make this dairy-free, replace butter with olive oil and skip the cream.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-American
