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This garlic chicken scallopini with angel hair pasta is so delicious. If you’ve been looking for an easy chicken and pasta meal, you should definitely consider this one. It has so much in the way of flavour, including juicy chicken, garlic, lemon, pasta – yum! It is a totally scrumptious as well as gluten-free chicken dish. Perhaps you’ve tried it at an Italian restaurant, where it’s always popular, or maybe you’re brand new to this flavour-packed recipe. Regardless of which, you’re going to love it!
You might have had chicken or veal scallopini at an Italian restaurant. Or maybe you haven’t tried it before. In any case, this gluten free version is well worth making. You’ll love the flavours it has. If you’re looking for a brand new chicken recipe with Italian flair, this is perfect.
Also try lemon parmesan chopped salad and baked creamy spaghetti, or you might prefer chicken piccata or green chile egg casserole.
Why You’ll Love This
- Versatile: This garlic chicken scallopini with gluten free angel hair pasta is good for a busy weeknight dinner. However it’s also special enough for a special occasion like Valentine’s Day or a birthday.
- Quick and easy: It doesn’t take long to make this and there’s nothing complicated about the recipe either.
- Perfect flavour blend: This easy garlic chicken scallopini combines juicy chicken with perfect pasta and tangy lemon sauce for a well-balanced meal.
Ingredients for Lemon Chicken Scallopini
The main ingredient here is chicken, and you will also need garlic, lemon, butter, egg, chicken broth, and parmesan cheese. In addition, you need breadcrumbs, angel hair pasta and flour, and you can choose from regular or gluten free.
How to Make Garlic Chicken Scallopini with Angel Hair Pasta
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
- Prepare the chicken: Pound the chicken until it’s 1/2-inch thick and season.
- Coat the chicken: Dip the chicken into seasoned flour and then in egg and finally in breadcrumbs.
- Cook the chicken: Sauté the chicken breast on both sides until golden and then bake until done.
- Make the sauce: Melt some butter then add garlic, chicken broth and lemon juice, bring to a boil and add more butter.
- Cook the pasta: Follow the directions on the package to cook the angel hair.
- Serve: Serve the lemon chicken scallopini and sauce over the pasta, garnished with lemon and parsley.
Uniformly thin chicken (1/2 inch is best) won’t take long to cook through. This is good because otherwise the breading will end up overcooked and the chicken raw inside, if you use a medium high heat which you need to!
The sauce for this garlic chicken scallopini with angel hair pasta is really good. You will need butter, garlic, broth and lemon. As for the pasta, parmesan cheese and parsley add all the wonderful yet delicate flavour you need. This is the kind of sauce you just know is going to taste great!
What is Angel Hair Pasta?
Is angel hair pasta gluten free, you might be wondering. Some kinds are so, if needed, just use gluten free angel hair pasta. Else you can use regular pasta. Angel hair pasta is also called capellini. It is a thin type of pasta in long strands.
Delicate sauces, such as those with cream, usually pair beautifully with angel hair pasta. Angel hair pasta and spaghetti are interchangeable in some recipes. Many seafood dishes are delicate and creamy by default, and those are great served over angel hair pasta.
Chicken Scallopini vs. Chicken Piccata
These two dishes are certainly similar, but are they the same? Not completely. Piccata is an Italian word describing meat that has been dredged in flour and browned. Typically, the sauce includes lemon juice and lemon zest, butter and capers. The word also refers to chicken breast or veal which is pounded flat. In Italy, veal is usually used in piccata recipes, while across the Atlantic chicken breast is the meat of choice.
The term scallopini refers to the cut since you will be working with thin pieces of meat, either cut or pounded that way. So, chicken piccata is a type of chicken scallopini since the chicken is cut thinly, but scallopini might have a different sauce.
Polenta, pasta or rice is usually teamed with easy garlic chicken piccata outside of Italy. In Italy it’s served after the pasta course. Capers are an optional ingredient in this easy chicken and pasta meal. If you like them and have some, you can add a spoonful of them to the sauce. They add a nice salty tang.
I really LOVE Italian food. My dad actually grew up in Northern Italy. Although I was only in Italy for a week, I spent as much time as possible exploring and of course trying Italian cuisine! I can’t wait to go back to spend more time there.
How to Store Leftover Scallopini
- Store: Leftovers will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Reheat: Reheat in a foil-covered baking dish in the oven at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.
- Freeze: You can freeze this dish in individual servings for up to 2 months, then thaw overnight and reheat the following day.
Chicken Scallopini without Gluten – Some FAQs
You will need to pound the chicken to make this easy garlic chicken scallopini. The easiest way I’ve found to do this, apart from buying chicken piccata cuts, is to use a meat tenderizer. You can use a rolling pin if you prefer. Then you will need to bash the chicken between a couple of pieces of parchment paper.
If you’re using a meat tenderizer, use the flat side not the pointed one! That’s for tenderizing steak and chicken doesn’t need that. Try to get your chicken about half an inch thick all over. That means it will cook quickly and evenly in the pan.
Gluten free chicken scallopini pasta is rich and satisfying, and you can serve anything you like on the side, such as green beans, broccoli or a crisp green salad with Italian vinaigrette. Roasted vegetables are also great with this easy garlic chicken dish, so you can take your pick.
Chicken Scallopini with Lemon Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless
- 3 Cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 Cup breadcrumbs, gluten free
- 1 lemon
- 4 Tbsps. butter, unsalted
- 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 egg
- 3 Tbsps. water
- 1/2 Cup chicken broth
- 1/3 Cup lemon juice
- 8 Oz. angel hair pasta, gluten free
- 1/2 Cup all purpose flour, gluten free
- 1/2 Cup parmesan, grated
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, prepare sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Place chicken in between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, using a rolling pin or meat tenderizer, pound chicken down to ½ inch thick. Salt and pepper each side. If the chicken is too large, cut in half first.
- On a plate, combine salt, pepper, flour. Dip chicken breasts into flour on both sides. On a separate plate, stage breadcrumbs.
- Whisk egg and water together, dip chicken into egg and then dip each side in breadcrumbs.
- In a large saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat. Place chicken in the pan, cook 2-3 minutes each side, just until brown. Wipe the pan out with a paper towel. Place chicken on a sheet pan and bake for 7-10 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks, heat 1 tablespoon butter in the saute pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Then add the chicken broth, and the lemon juice.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add remaining butter. Remove from heat. Drizzle a spoonful of sauce over each chicken breast.
- Add cooked pasta to sauté pan and mix with the remaining sauce. Add parmesan cheese, chopped parsley and mix thoroughly. Season if needed.
- Garnish chicken with fresh parsley and a slice of lemon, then serve with the pasta.
Nutrition
You might like to make a delicious Italian dessert to go after this garlic chicken piccata with angel hair pasta. What about zabaglione or semifreddo? If you want to continue the indulgence, consider a rich tiramisu!
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Quick, easy, and delicious! There was nothing left at the end.
So easy to make and it tastes exceptionally good!
This recipe is a total comfort food. It also tastes fancy but easy to make at home.
The chicken and the sauce. They’re absolute hits!!
This was so delicious. Going to make it every week.
This looks absolutely amazing!!! I love a chicken dish!!!
This is fabulous! What a wonderful dinner idea for the family. My chicken came out awesome and I love the sauce. I will make this one again soon!
Can I be the annoying Italian and tell you that’s not how it’s called? Ahahah it might be a Rome thing but we call it Scaloppina either way it’s one of my favourite dishes and I love your version too
I will try the sauce on veggie burgers, I’m sure they will go together really well.