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Craving Italian-inspired comfort food? Dig in to this lighter twist on chicken scallopini served with a lemon-caper butter sauce!

Chicken Scallopini on a plate with broccoli and pasta

If you’ve never heard of chicken scallopini, it refers to an Italian dish made by dredging thinly sliced chicken in flour, pan-frying it, then topping it with a lemon-caper butter sauce.

I mean, how delicious does that sound?

Traditional versions of this dish often use a thick coating of flour and tons of butter. Plus, the dish is served over high-carb refined pasta.

By using a lighter dusting of flour and cutting back on the butter, this scallopini is healthier than what you’d find in a restaurant.

So the next time you’re craving some Italian-inspired comfort food, try this recipe for a simple, fresh, and delicious meal.

How to make chicken scallopini

You can have this recipe prepped and ready to go in about 20 minutes!

Ingredients for the recipe

Step 1: Place the chicken breast on a cutting board. Hold your knife parallel to the cutting board and cut the chicken breast in half so you end up with very thin and wide pieces.

Chicken breast open up with a knife

Step 2: Place each piece of chicken between two slices of wax paper and pound until it’s ¼-inch thick.

Chicken breast pounded flat

Step 3: Spread the flour out on a plate. Coat both sides of each piece of chicken with flour.

Chicken being coated with flour in a glass bowl

Step 4: In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt over medium-high heat.

Step 5: Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and brown on both sides until it’s fully cooked (about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through). Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and keep it warm.

Step 6: Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and olive oil plus sea salt to the same skillet. Stir in the lemon juice and capers and heat until warmed through.

Sauce being cooked in a skillet

Step 7: To serve, garnish with parsley and lemon slices.

All that’s left to do is dig in!

What to serve with this chicken dish

The traditional side for chicken scallopini is pasta, but you don’t have to serve it that way.

Because of the dredging process used to make scallopini, this dish is quite filling. The vibrant flavor of the lemon-caper sauce helps to keep it light.

I usually just make a little steamed broccoli or other low-carb veggies to serve on the side. It adds some green to the plate without extra calories or carbs.

However, if you’re in the mood for an indulgent homemade meal, you could always serve it with whole wheat flax dinner rolls to soak up the sauce.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a lighter variation, you could always just serve it with a salad. Lemony romaine and avocado salad would be a great option.

Or you could stick with the classic pasta theme but make these zucchini noodles with lime pesto instead!

Two plates of chicken scallopini on a table with lemons

Storage

This recipe is for 4 servings of scallopini. It’s a great meal to serve your family, or you can enjoy some right away and save the rest for easy meals throughout the week!

Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. For best results, store the sauce separately and only add it to the chicken right before serving.

Fork holding a bite of chicken over the plate

Other healthy Italian-inspired recipes

When it comes to comfort food, so many of my favorite recipes are dishes I used to order at Italian restaurants. Thankfully, I’ve been able to recreate lighter versions of most of them!

Here are a few of my favorite Italian-inspired recipes with a lighter twist:

When you’ve tried this dish, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate the recipe in the comments below!

Chicken Scallopini

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Craving Italian-inspired comfort food? Dig in to this lighter twist on chicken scallopini served with a lemon-caper butter sauce and whole wheat spaghetti!
Author: Diabetic Foodie
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (about 1 pound)
  • cup white wheat or all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, (extra-virgin)
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons capers
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, (chopped)
  • lemon slices

Instructions

  • Place the chicken breast on a cutting board. Hold your knife parallel to the cutting board and cut the chicken breast in half so you end up with very thin and wide pieces.
    2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Place each piece of chicken between two slices of wax paper and pound until it’s ¼-inch thick.
  • Spread the flour out on a plate. Coat both sides of each piece of chicken with flour.
    ⅓ cup white wheat or all-purpose flour
  • In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt over medium-high heat.
    3 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, pinch of salt
  • Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and brown on both sides until it’s fully cooked (about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through). Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and keep it warm.
  • Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and olive oil plus sea salt to the same skillet. Stir in the lemon juice and capers and heat until warmed through.
    2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons capers
  • To serve, garnish with parsley and lemon slices.
    1 tablespoon fresh parsley, lemon slices

Notes

This recipe is for 4 servings of scallopini. Each serving is ½ chicken breast with ¼th of the sauce.
Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. 
For best results, store the sauce separately and only add it to the chicken right before serving.

Nutrition Info Per Serving

Nutrition Facts
Chicken Scallopini
Amount per Serving
Calories
278
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
17
g
26
%
Saturated Fat
 
7
g
35
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
8
g
Cholesterol
 
88
mg
29
%
Sodium
 
278
mg
12
%
Potassium
 
303
mg
9
%
Carbohydrates
 
5
g
2
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
1
g
1
%
Protein
 
31
g
62
%
Vitamin A
 
400
IU
8
%
Vitamin C
 
7.4
mg
9
%
Calcium
 
20
mg
2
%
Iron
 
3.1
mg
17
%
Net carbs
 
4
g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.