Chicken Scallopini

This Chicken Scallopini is a delicious dish of crusted chicken over lemon butter pasta. The combo is irresistible!

It’s hard to pick a “star” of this recipe, because both the chicken breast and the pasta are equally delicious, similar to a Chicken Parmigiana dish, or our Lemon Chicken Pasta.

What is Chicken Scallopini?

You guys know how much we love chicken and pasta here!! How can you not when they’re almost always delicious and loved by the whole family?!

This chicken scallopini happens to be another one of those yummy dishes and is one my mom got from watching the news one day (thanks, Mom). She gave it a try, and it was a hit!!

As I said, I’m not sure how scallopini wouldn’t be a hit when you have breaded chicken and pasta that is coated in a lemon butter sauce.

Scallopini is a type of Italian dish that comes in many forms. It consists of thinly sliced meat, that is dredged in flour or breadcrumbs and sautéed in one of a variety of reduced sauces. For this version, the chicken is coated in bread crumbs and sauteed in a lemon butter sauce.

How to Make Scallopini

Scallopini chicken is a simple dinner dish that is on the table in no time!

PASTA. Cook pasta according to box directions. While pasta is cooking, heat about 1 TB of oil and 2 T. butter in a large skillet.

CHICKEN. Coat chicken in breadcrumbs and saute in your skillet, turning until brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan.

SAUCE. In a medium pan, heat lemon juice and chicken broth on medium heat. Bring to a boil. 

Reduce to low-medium heat. Add cream and simmer until the mixture thickens. Slowly add your butter until incorporated.

COMBINE + SERVE. Add pasta to the lemon butter sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Add cut chicken over pasta. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Additional Toppings. While this dish is perfect in its simplicity, you can add some extra toppings or ingredients, such as:

• mushrooms, capers, tomatoes, spinach, or zucchini
• bacon bits, sliced pork, or veal
• parmesan cheese
• fresh chives and fresh parsley or lemon zest
• add heat with chili flakes 

Recipe Tips

Add flavor. For a more flavorful sauce, use the same skillet where the chicken was cooked. Once the chicken has been cooked and removed from the skillet drain any oils. Add the chicken broth, or white wine, along with the lemon juice, and proceed with the recipe instructions. 

Pasta. I used linguine, but any long noodle will work. Depending on how saucy you like the pasta, use anywhere between ¾-1 lb of noodles.

Chicken. Use 4 thin chicken cutlets which are precut chicken breasts. To make your own: buy 2 large chicken breasts. Use a sharp knife to slice them in half lengthwise. Use the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound them into thin slices. 

Complete the meal. We like to serve this chicken scallopini with a vegetable side, salad, or bread. Here are some favorites!

• Fried Zucchini
• Caprese Salad
• Parmesan Asparagus
• Garlic Knots

Storing Tips

STORE the leftover scallopini in airtight containers either separately or all together for 2-3 days.

FREEZE leftovers for 4-6 weeks.

To reheat. Thaw if applicable.

• If possible, remove the chicken from the pasta and sauté in a pan until warm and crisp. Remove.
• Add the pasta to the pan and slowly over low heat.
• Add a little milk to help the cream become more smooth. Once hot, serve with the chicken on top.

If you are in a hurry, use the microwave to heat up the dish.

Recipe FAQ

For more chicken pasta recipes, check out:

• Chicken Alfredo Bake
• Chicken Piccata
• Triple Cheddar Chicken Pasta
• Pesto Chicken Florentine
• Chicken Spaghetti
• Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Recipe adapted from ABC 15.