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This chicken scallopini with pasta starts with thin chicken breasts coated in breadcrumbs and cooked until golden, then served with angel hair pasta in a buttery garlic and lemon sauce. The chicken finishes in the oven while the sauce and pasta come together on the stovetop. Fresh parmesan and parsley go in at the end, and I like saving some of the lemony sauce to spoon over the crispy chicken before serving.
Why You’ll Love It
Breaded chicken scallopini is served with angel hair pasta tossed in a buttery garlic-lemon sauce with parmesan and fresh parsley.
Crispy breaded chicken: The thin chicken pieces are breaded and browned in a skillet before finishing in the oven.
Plenty of lemon-garlic sauce: Butter, fresh garlic, chicken broth and lemon juice make enough sauce for both the chicken and pasta.
Chicken and pasta together: Angel hair cooks quickly and gets tossed directly into the remaining sauce with parmesan and parsley.
Ready in 35 minutes: The thin chicken cooks quickly, and you can make the sauce while it finishes in the oven.
Also try lemon parmesan chopped salad and baked creamy spaghetti, or you might prefer chicken piccata or green chile egg casserole.
Chicken Scallopini Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Chicken breasts: Pound them to an even ½-inch thickness so they cook quickly and evenly. Cut particularly large breasts in half first.
All-purpose flour: Gives the chicken its first light coating and helps the egg mixture adhere.
Egg and water: Make the egg wash that helps the breadcrumbs stick.
Breadcrumbs: Give the chicken its crisp outer coating.
Garlic: Fresh garlic forms the savory base of the lemon-butter sauce.
Butter: Adds richness and forms the base of the sauce.
Chicken broth: Adds savory flavor and enough liquid to coat the pasta.
Lemon juice: There’s a generous amount here, giving the sauce a pronounced lemon flavor. Freshly squeezed is worth using.
Angel hair pasta: The thin strands cook quickly and pick up plenty of the lemon-butter sauce.
Parmesan: Freshly grated parmesan gets tossed with the pasta and sauce at the end.
Parsley: Adds freshness and color just before serving.
How to Make Chicken Scallopini with Pasta
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Prepare the chicken: Pound the chicken breasts to an even ½-inch thickness and season both sides with salt and pepper. Cut large breasts in half if needed.
Bread the chicken: Coat each piece in seasoned flour, dip it in the egg wash and then coat it with breadcrumbs.
Brown the chicken: Heat olive oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes per side, just until golden.
Finish in the oven: Transfer the chicken to a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake at 400°F for 7 to 10 minutes, or until it reaches 165°F internally.
Make the sauce: Cook the garlic briefly in butter, then add the chicken broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes before adding the remaining butter.
Toss the pasta: Add the cooked angel hair to the sauce and toss with parmesan and fresh parsley.
Serve: Plate the chicken with the pasta and spoon some of the lemon-butter sauce over the chicken.
Substitutions and Variations
Change the pasta: Spaghetti, linguine or another thin pasta can replace the angel hair.
Add capers: Stir some drained capers into the lemon sauce for a briny flavor that’s closer to chicken piccata.
Use less lemon: The sauce is intentionally quite lemony. Reduce the lemon juice slightly if you prefer a milder citrus flavor.
Add a little heat: A pinch of red pepper flakes works well in the garlic-lemon sauce if you want some heat.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Enjoy pappa al pomodoro soup to start your meal, or perhaps you’d prefer air fryer polenta fries with garlic marinara sauce for dipping.
Side dishes: Mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes or any kind of pasta would be a good pairing. Blueberry tomato caprese would be really good with chicken scallopini, or radicchio endive chicken salad.
Dessert: Finish with bombolini (Italian donuts!)
How to Store
Store: Keep leftover chicken, pasta and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Freeze the cooked chicken separately for up to 2 months. The breading won’t be quite as crisp after thawing, and I prefer making the pasta and sauce fresh.
Thaw: Thaw frozen chicken overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheat: Reheat the chicken in a 350°F oven until hot. Gently warm the pasta separately with a splash of chicken broth if it seems dry.
Top Tips
Pound the chicken evenly: I aim for about ½ inch all over. Even thickness matters more than getting every piece exactly the same shape.
Don’t cook the chicken through in the skillet: You’re only looking for a golden breadcrumb coating at this stage. The chicken finishes cooking in the oven.
Use fresh lemon juice: There’s quite a bit of lemon in the sauce, so freshly squeezed juice makes a noticeable difference.
Watch the angel hair: It cooks very quickly, so have the sauce nearly ready before you cook the pasta.
Save some sauce for the chicken: Don’t let the pasta absorb every drop. I like spooning a little over the crispy chicken just before serving.
Chicken Scallopini FAQs
Scallopini refers to thin pieces of meat that are sliced or pounded so they cook quickly. Chicken piccata is commonly made with thin chicken in a lemon-butter sauce with capers. This recipe uses breaded scallopini-style chicken with a lemon-garlic butter sauce, but it doesn’t include capers.
Yes. Angel hair works particularly well because the thin strands pick up the lemon-butter sauce, but spaghetti or linguine will work too. Cook whichever pasta you choose until al dente before tossing it with the sauce.
Chicken Scallopini with Pasta Recipe
Chicken Scallopini with Lemon Sauce
Equipment
- Meat Tenderizer or Rolling Pin
- Skillet Large
- Pot Large
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 3 Cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ Cup breadcrumbs
- 4 Tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 1 egg
- 3 Tablespoons water
- ½ Cup chicken broth
- ⅓ Cup lemon juice
- 8 Ounces angel hair pasta
- ½ Cup flour
- ½ Cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
To Garnish
- 1 Tablespoon parsley, freshly chopped
- 2 Slices lemon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F, line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Place chicken in between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, using a meat tenderizer or rolling pin, pound chicken down to ½ inch thick. Salt and pepper each side. If the chicken is too large, cut it in half first.
- On a plate, combine salt, pepper, flour. Dip chicken breasts into flour on both sides. On a separate plate, add breadcrumbs.
- Whisk egg and water together, dip chicken into egg and then dip each side in breadcrumbs.
- In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat. Place chicken in the pan, cook 2 or 3 minutes each side, just until brown. Wipe the pan out with a paper towel.
- Place the chicken on the prepared sheet pan and bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the thickest part reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- While the chicken cooks, heat 1 tablespoon butter in the same 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 to 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.
Notes
Don’t cook the chicken through in the skillet: You’re only looking for a golden breadcrumb coating at this stage. The chicken finishes cooking in the oven.
Use fresh lemon juice: There’s quite a bit of lemon in the sauce, so freshly squeezed juice makes a noticeable difference.
Watch the angel hair: It cooks very quickly, so have the sauce nearly ready before you cook the pasta.
Save some sauce for the chicken: Don’t let the pasta absorb every drop. I like spooning a little over the crispy chicken just before serving.
Nutrition
This chicken scallopini is one of those recipes where the pasta is almost as good as the chicken because it gets tossed right in the buttery lemon-garlic sauce. Keep the chicken thin so it cooks quickly, and don’t take it too far in the skillet since it finishes in the oven. I like saving a little sauce to spoon over the crispy chicken at the end, along with fresh parsley and parmesan.
Other Recipes to Try
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.