Golden pan seared chicken cutlets nestled in a bed of bright and creamy white wine infused sauce make this chicken scallopini recipe one of my favorite easy stovetop meals!
Why this recipe works
Chicken scallopini might sound fancy, but it’s a lot easier to make than you would think. The whole base of this dish is built around thin chicken cutlets that are lightly breaded and seared for a golden crust. But the real star is that gorgeous cream sauce highlighted with briny capers, bright lemon juice, and a little earthiness from the mushrooms balanced out with dry white wine.
Anywho, I said easy. And I meant it. Give your cutlets a quick dip in some flour, sear them, then work on that sauce in a skillet. It’s quite similar to chicken piccata, where all the ingredients work together to make one heck of a flavorful dish without much effort. I absolutely loved this dish. It’s bright, refreshing, and a nice switch-up from your everyday chicken dinner.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CHICKEN – For this recipe, you’ll want to either pound your chicken breasts thin, or slice them in half to make cutlets. Thin chicken means it’ll cook quickly and evenly in the skillet, especially when it’s coated in flour.
WINE – Scallopini sauce is pretty rich, which is why dry white wine works so well here. The acidity from the wine cuts through the butter and heavy cream helping the sauce taste a little lighter and brighter. I would suggest either Pinot grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay. You can substitute the wine with equal amounts of chicken broth if needed.
ADDITIONS – The mushrooms add a nice earthy element alongside the briny capers, lemon juice, and creamy sauce. You can omit them if you aren’t a fan. The same goes for the capers. I personally LOVE the saltiness and the flavor that capers bring to a dish!
How to Make Chicken Scallopini
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Trim excess fat from chicken. Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally, splitting each into two thinner cutlets.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, pepper, garlic salt, and onion powder.
- Dredge each chicken cutlet in the flour mixture, coating both sides. You will not use all the flour mixture. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken cutlets and brown on both sides, about 10-12 minutes. Remove chicken but don’t clean out skillet.
- Add butter to the skillet along with garlic and onion, cook for a minute to soften onion. Pour in white wine and capers and bring to a gentle boil.
- Add chicken base, lemon juice, and mushrooms. Stir to combine.
- Reduce heat to low. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine water and cornstarch to make a slurry. Pour into the skillet and stir to thicken.
- Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Nestle the chicken back into the skillet to heat through.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
You can thicken your sauce by using a cornstarch slurry, as we did here. This step is optional and doesn’t affect the flavor at all. If you prefer, you can leave it out and simply simmer the mixture longer to thicken.
Cream can separate if cooked over too high of heat. So be sure to keep the heat low during the last step!
Yes, of course. Though, dry white wine adds a lot of flavor and a good touch of acidity to the sauce, helping balance the richness of the heavy cream base. You can substitute with an equal amount of chicken broth if desired.
Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through.
In short, piccata refers to a specific kind of sauce (lemons, capers, wine, butter), whereas scallopini refers to the style of preparation. The two are similar, but chicken piccata almost always uses the same sauce and chicken scallopini is a broader type of recipe where you’ll see lots of different variations. For example, we add mushrooms and heavy cream to our sauce for richness, which makes it stand out from piccata.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your chicken scallopini over a bed of noodles (I love either fettuccine or linguine) or rice. The sauce is excellent over either!
Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, grated parmesan cheese, or some halved cherry tomatoes for color. Enjoy!
More Chicken Recipes
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Chicken Scallopini
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Pin It Rate ItIngredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 3 Tablespoons capers
- 2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon chicken base
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- You will see a step that add a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. This step is optional and doesn’t affect the flavor at all. If you prefer, you can leave it out and simply simmer longer to thicken.
- Additional chicken broth can be used in place of the wine.
- Cream can separate if cooked on too high of heat. So be sure to keep the heat low during the last step.
- If you would like the sauce to have a bit more color, you can always add a little paprika. We suggest about 1/2 teaspoon.
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from chicken. Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally, splitting each into two thinner cutlets.1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, pepper, garlic salt, and onion powder.3 Tablespoons all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Dredge each chicken cutlet in the flour mixture, coating both sides. You will not use all the flour mixture. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken cutlets and brown on both sides, about 10-12 minutes. Remove chicken but don’t clean out skillet.2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Add butter to the skillet along with garlic and onion, cook for a minute to soften onion. Pour in white wine and capers and bring to a gentle boil.2 Tablespoons butter, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/3 cup dry white wine, 3 Tablespoons capers
- Add chicken base, lemon juice, and mushrooms. Stir to combine.2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon chicken base, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- Reduce heat to low. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine water and cornstarch to make a slurry. Pour into the skillet and stir to thicken.2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1/4 cup water
- Add the heavy whipping cream and stir to combine. Nestle the chicken back into the skillet to heat through.1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through.
Nutrition
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
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