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Lemon Chicken Romano

Lemon chicken Romano features thin, crispy Romano cheese cutlets pan-fried until deeply golden, then finished with a bright lemon butter caper sauce. The shattering crunch comes from pressing chicken firmly into a Pecorino Romano–panko crust and serving with glossy lemon-caper butter.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken cutlets
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 0.25 salt and pepper to taste
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese finely grated
  • 0.5 cup panko breadcrumbs
Lemon butter caper sauce
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp butter divided
  • 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 and season cutlets
  1. Season the thin chicken cutlets with salt and pepper to taste, then set up three breading stations: flour, beaten eggs, and a mix of Pecorino Romano cheese with panko.
  2. Dredge each cutlet in flour, dip into the beaten eggs, and press firmly into the Romano coating so it adheres.
Pan-fry until deeply golden
  1. Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, then pan-fry cutlets for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden and crisp.
  2. Remove the cutlets from the skillet and keep them off to the side while you make the sauce.
Make lemon-caper butter sauce
  1. In the same pan, cook the minced garlic for 30 seconds, stirring until fragrant.
  2. Deglaze with the white wine, scraping up browned bits, then stir in lemon juice and capers and simmer for 3 minutes.
  3. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter until the sauce is glossy.
Serve
  1. Plate the crispy cutlets and pour the lemon-caper butter sauce over each one, then garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

For maximum crunch, press the cutlets firmly into the Romano-panko coating and pan-fry in a single layer without crowding. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes to help crisp. Freezing is not recommended because the crust softens. For a gluten-free version, swap the flour for a gluten-free all-purpose blend and use gluten-free panko.