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Lemon Chicken Romano

Lemon chicken Romano features thin, pan-fried chicken cutlets with a shattering Pecorino Romano crust, then served in a bright lemon butter caper sauce. This Italian-American weeknight chicken dinner delivers deeply golden crunch and a glossy sauce in under 40 minutes.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 740
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken cutlets
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Halve horizontally into 8 thin cutlets.
  • 0.5 Salt and pepper to taste Use enough to season both sides.
Breading
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs Beaten.
  • 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese Finely grated.
  • 0.5 cup panko breadcrumbs
Pan-frying and sauce
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp butter Divided.
  • 4 garlic Minced.
  • 0.5 cup dry white wine
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp capers Drained.
  • 0.25 Fresh parsley for garnish Chopped or whole sprigs as you like.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Set up breading and coat cutlets
  1. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and set up your breading stations with flour, beaten eggs, and the Romano cheese mixed with panko.
  2. Dredge each cutlet in flour, dip into the beaten egg, then press firmly into the Romano coating.
Pan-fry until deeply golden
  1. Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, then pan-fry the cutlets for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden and crisp.
  2. Transfer the cutlets to a plate as soon as they’re deeply golden, keeping them as intact as possible.
Make the lemon-caper butter sauce
  1. In the same pan, cook the minced garlic for 30 seconds just until fragrant.
  2. Deglaze with the dry white wine, then add the fresh lemon juice and capers and simmer for 3 minutes.
  3. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter until the sauce looks glossy.
Serve
  1. Plate the cutlets and pour the lemon-caper butter sauce over each one, then garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

For extra crunch, press the cutlets firmly into the Romano-panko coating so it adheres before frying. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet to help crisp the crust (avoid microwaving if you want maximum crunch). Freezing isn’t recommended because the crust softens. For a lighter option, use a reduced-fat Pecorino Romano (or a mix of Pecorino and Parmesan) and cook with the same method.