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Lemon Chicken Romano

Lemon chicken Romano features thin cutlets with a shattering Romano cheese crust pan-fried until deeply golden, then finished in a bright lemon butter caper sauce. The crisp exterior stays crunchy while the sauce pools around each piece for an easy Italian-American weeknight dinner.
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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: 720
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken cutlets
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Halved horizontally into 8 thin cutlets.
  • 0.25 tsp salt Use to taste.
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper Use to taste.
Breading
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs Beaten.
  • 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese Finely grated.
  • 0.5 cup panko breadcrumbs
Pan-fry and sauce
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp butter Divided into 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 cutlets with salt and pepper, then set up three stations with flour, beaten egg, and a mix of Romano plus panko.
  2. Dredge each cutlet in flour, dip into the egg, and press firmly into the Romano coating so it sticks.
Pan-fry until crisp
  1. Heat the olive oil with 2 tablespoons butter in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, then pan-fry cutlets for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden.
  2. Remove cutlets to a plate and keep them warm while you make the sauce in the same pan.
Make lemon-caper butter sauce
  1. In the same pan, cook the minced garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant, then deglaze with the white wine.
  2. Add lemon juice and capers, then simmer for 3 minutes until slightly reduced.
  3. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter until the sauce turns glossy.
Serve
  1. Plate the cutlets and pour the lemon-caper butter sauce over each one, then garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

For the crispiest Romano crust, press the cheese-and-panko coating firmly onto the cutlets right after dipping in egg, and keep the pan at a consistent medium-high heat so the coating browns instead of drying out. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet to help re-crisp. Freezing cooked cutlets is not recommended for best texture. Dietary swap: use gluten-free all-purpose flour and gluten-free panko for a gluten-free version.