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Lemon Chicken Romano

Lemon Chicken Romano delivers thin, golden cutlets with a shattering Romano cheese crust, pan-fried until deeply crispy. They’re finished with a bright lemon-butter caper sauce that pools over the chicken for an Italian-American weeknight dinner.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 720
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Halved horizontally into 8 thin cutlets.
  • 0.25 tsp salt To taste.
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper To taste.
Coating
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs Beaten.
  • 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese Finely grated.
  • 0.5 cup panko breadcrumbs
Pan-fry & sauce
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp butter Divided; 2 tbsp for frying and 2 tbsp for finishing sauce.
  • 4 garlic cloves Minced.
  • 0.5 cup dry white wine
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp capers Drained.
  • 1 fresh parsley For garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Set up breading
  1. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper to taste, then set up three stations with flour, beaten egg, and a mix of Pecorino Romano plus panko.
  2. Dredge each cutlet in flour, dip into the beaten egg, and press firmly into the Romano-panko coating so the crust adheres.
Pan-fry the crust
  1. Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, then pan-fry cutlets for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden with a crisp, crackly crust.
  2. Remove the cutlets to a plate while you finish the sauce, keeping the crust intact and untouched.
Make the lemon-caper butter sauce
  1. In the same pan, cook the minced garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant, then deglaze with the white wine while scraping up browned bits.
  2. Stir in lemon juice and capers, then simmer for 3 minutes until slightly reduced and glossy.
  3. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter until the sauce looks smooth and glossy with a bright lemon shine.
Serve
  1. Plate the cutlets and pour the lemon-caper butter sauce over each one so it pools around the crispy crust, then garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

Pro tip: Press the coated cutlets firmly into the Romano-panko so the crust stays intact when you flip. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat in a hot skillet to re-crisp. Freezing is not recommended for the best texture. For a gluten-free swap, use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour and gluten-free panko or crushed gluten-free crackers.