Name: Easy Chicken Scallopini
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided); 2 tablespoons butter (divided); 2 pounds thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts; 1 teaspoon minced garlic; 1 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning ((like Lawry's Seasoned Salt), or to taste); freshly ground black pepper (to taste); ¼ cup dry sherry or dry white wine ((like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)); 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (prepared with chicken base if available); 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard; ½ lemon (juiced); ¼ cup heavy cream or half and half; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 2 tablespoons water; 2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives; 12 ounces thin spaghetti (cooked according to package directions); 1 tablespoon olive oil (or as needed); ¼ finely shredded Parmesan cheese (or as needed)

This Easy Chicken Scallopini recipe is creamy, comforting and perfect for busy weeknights! It’s served over simple Parmesan noodles with a luscious, silky smooth sauce and is ready to serve in just 30 minutes.

A top down shot of chicken scallopini on a plate with parmesan noodles and lemon wedges.

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What is Chicken Scallopini?

Scallopini is an Italian dish that’s made with thinly sliced meat usually chicken, pork or beef and is dredged in flour and fried before being served with a buttery, lemony sauce.

Fast and Easy Chicken Scallopini

I’ve skipped the flour and breadcrumbs in this recipe to make things lighter and quicker and I’ve also adapted the sauce to make it luscious, creamy and super delicious! Better yet, this whole dish comes together in just 30 minutes so it’s the perfect comfort food dish for busy weeknights or when you just feel like something delicious without any fuss!

Ingredient Notes

Boneless skinless chicken breasts – Thin-sliced chicken breasts. See below for more details.
Minced garlic
All-purpose seasoning – I use Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. Make sure the seasoning blend you are using contains salt or you’ll need to add some.
Freshly ground black pepper
Dy sherry – If you don’t want to stock a bottle of dry sherry, you can substitute a dry, crisp white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
Low-sodium chicken broth – I always keep Better Than Bouillon on hand so I can mix up very high quality, low-sodium broth as needed. You can control the strength and richness of the broth by adding more or less of this base and it doesn’t take up much room in the fridge.
Dijon mustard
Lemon – The juice from half a lemon.
Heavy cream or half and half
Cornstarch – Combined with water to create a slurry for thickening the sauce.
Chopped fresh chives – For garnish.
Thin spaghetti noodles – Cooked according to package directions.
Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil and butter

The Best Cut of Chicken for Scallopini

I use thin-sliced boneless and skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, I find this cut works best and cooks faster to make this meal quick and easy.

If you can’t find chicken breasts pre-cut into thin-sliced chicken, you can easily do it at home by slicing normal chicken breasts lengthwise to create 2 thinner pieces. You may need to lightly pound them, depending on the thickness of the breasts.

How to Make Chicken Scallopini

Chicken cooking in a cast iron skillet and wine and broth added.

Heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy skillet and add as many pieces of chicken as can comfortably fit in the skillet without overcrowding. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and no longer pink inside, seasoning each side of the chicken with all-purpose seasoning and pepper to taste as it cooks. Transfer the chicken to a platter or large rimmed serving dish and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining butter, oil, chicken and seasoning.
Add the garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring for just a minute or two, being so it doesn’t burn. Add the dry sherry or white wine to the skillet. Using a whisk, scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet and let the sherry simmer for a minute or two.
Add the broth, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice and whisk again to combine. Allow the sauce to simmer for several minutes to reduce slightly.

If chicken pieces are large, cut them into smaller serving-size pieces before beginning.

Cream is added to sauce in a skillet and spoon pouring sauce over chicken.

Add the cream and simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Next, add the cornstarch/water slurry to sauce and stir until slightly thickened.
Finally, add the chicken back to pan, spooning sauce over chicken and sprinkle with chives.

Toss cooked pasta with a little olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve the chicken over the Parmesan noodles and drizzle the sauce over the top.

Serving Suggestions

I love to serve this chicken scallopini with buttery parmesan noodles. I chose thin spaghetti but you can use any noodles you like (long shapes work best).
If you want to keep things lighter and low carb, why not go for some roasted vegetables like asparagus, green beans, or bell peppers
A Simple Italian Salad or Sautéed Spinach with Garlic and Lemon are great ways to round out this meal.

Tips for Making the Best Chicken Scallopini

Make sure to keep the chicken warm as you make the sauce and boil the noodles. Place the chicken on a warm plate and cover with foil, you can also place the plate in a low, warm oven but it’s not essential.
When you add the cornstarch to the sauce it’ll thicken quickly so make sure to stir the sauce constantly to avoid any lumps forming.
Most noodles with work as a side to this dish but long shapes will work best.
You can also skip the noodles if you prefer and serve the Chicken Scallopini with veggies or salad.
Don’t skip the fresh chives. They add to the flavor but also add a nice brightness to the dish that makes for a very nice presentation.
If you’re downsizing this meal to serve fewer people simply cut down the chicken portion sizes but do not scale down the sauce.
Leftovers will store well in the fridge in a suitable container for around 2 days.

Chicken Scallopini with Parmesan noodles on a plate with lemon wedges.

You can throw this Easy Chicken Scallopini together in thirty minutes and the end result is unbelievably tasty. The buttery sauce gives it an elegant, sophisticated flavor making it worthy of serving to guests but it’s quick and easy enough to throw together on a busy weeknight.

More Delicious Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

This post was originally published on September 21, 2011. It has been updated with new text and images.

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