This easy chicken scallopini recipe features tender chicken cutlets simmered in a rich white wine mushroom sauce. Serve it over homemade pasta or keep it simple with a fresh side salad.
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Not sure what to make for dinner tonight? Have I got a recipe for you! Chicken scallopini, simmered in a bold white wine sauce with morels or your favorite mushrooms. Serve it over pasta for an easy, restaurant-style meal.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick & easy: Thin chicken cutlets cook quickly, making them perfect for busy weeknights.
- Big flavor, simple ingredients: Garlic, shallots, mushrooms, and white wine add a ton of flavor!
- Versatile serving options: Delicious over pasta, rice, or with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
- Make-ahead friendly: Leftovers reheat beautifully without drying out!
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken: You'll need 1 pound of whole chicken breast (not cutlets), as they need to be sliced and pounded. Cutlets are too thin.
- Seasoning: Sea salt, white or black pepper, crushed red pepper, cayenne (optional)
- Flour: All-purpose flour for dredging
- Wine: Dry white wine or sherry. I prefer Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
- Broth: Homemade chicken stock/broth or store-bought.
- Garlic & Onion: Fresh garlic, shallot, or yellow onion.
- Fresh Herbs: Italian parsley or fresh basil.
- Butter: 1 tablespoon butter (I used salted).
- Mushrooms: I added morel mushrooms, but feel free to add your favorite variety. I left my morels whole, but would recommend slicing most other varieties.
- Optional: Sun-dried tomatoes, capers (drained & rinsed), and kalamata olives would all be excellent additions.
- Pasta: Homemade pasta or store-bought
*See recipe card for a full list of ingredients
🍗 How to Make Chicken Scallopini
Step 1: Slice defrosted chicken breasts on a diagonal, then place one at a time inside a quart-sized ziplock bag. Pound with the flat side of a mallet until evenly thinned (approximately ¼ inch thick). Repeat with the remaining chicken. Season both sides with ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper.
Step 2: Mix flour with ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ of pepper, crushed red pepper, and cayenne. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour to coat on both sides, then shake off excess flour.
Step 3: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add coated chicken pieces and cook for about 1¼-2 minutes per side, just until lightly golden but not cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
Step 4: Add butter to pan; sauté shallots, mushrooms, and garlic for a few minutes over medium heat. Add wine and broth to deglaze the pan, then add ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper. Place chicken in the pan and cook, uncovered, over low to medium heat for 3 minutes per side. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning, if needed. Top with chopped Italian parsley.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Serve chicken scallopini smothered in the sauce over pasta or white rice. Or serve with some crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce, and a broccoli crunch salad.
Before serving, I like to sprinkle the chicken with Parmesan cheese or crumbled feta cheese.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Chicken scallopini refers to the preparation method; thinly sliced or pounded chicken cutlets that cook quickly. Chicken piccata is a specific dish made using scallopini-style chicken, finished with lemon, capers, and butter sauce. In other words, scallopini is a technique, while piccata is a popular recipe that uses it.
Chicken scallopini refers to a cooking method, not a specific recipe. It describes thinly sliced or pounded chicken cutlets that cook quickly and evenly. The chicken is typically lightly dredged in flour, pan-seared, and finished with a simple sauce prepared with lemons or white wine.
Yes, chicken scallopini can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. For best results, freeze the cooked chicken cutlets separately from the sauce, since lemon or butter-based sauces may separate after thawing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stovetop to keep the chicken tender.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Partially frozen chicken breasts are much easier to slice thinly and evenly.
- Pound the chicken just until evenly thin, not paper-thin.
- Use just enough flour to coat.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary before serving.
- Finish with fresh parsley, basil, oregano, or thyme. Dried herbs are fine to simmer in the sauce, but fresh herbs at the end take it to the next level.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Slice defrosted chicken breasts on a diagonal, then place one at a time inside a quart-sized ziplock bag. Pound with the flat side of a mallet until evenly thinned (approximately ¼ inch thick). Repeat with the remaining chicken. Season both sides with ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper.
- Mix flour with ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ of pepper, crushed red pepper, and cayenne. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour to coat on both sides, then shake off excess flour.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add coated chicken pieces and cook for about 1½-2 minutes per side, just until lightly golden but not cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add butter to pan; sauté shallots, mushrooms, and garlic for a few minutes over medium heat. Add wine and broth to deglaze the pan, then add ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper. Place chicken in the pan and cook, uncovered, over low to medium heat for 3 minutes per side. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning, if needed. Top with chopped Italian parsley.
- Serve chicken scallopini smothered in the sauce over pasta or white rice. Or serve with some crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce, and a broccoli crunch salad.
Nutrition
Notes
- Partially frozen chicken breasts are much easier to slice thinly and evenly.
- Pound the chicken just until evenly thin, not paper-thin.
- Use just enough flour to coat.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary before serving.
- Finish with fresh parsley, basil, oregano, or thyme. Dried herbs are fine to simmer in the sauce, but fresh herbs at the end take it to the next level.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
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