Lemon Chicken Romano (Printable)
Golden Romano-crusted cutlets with a bright lemon-butter sauce and parsley; ready in 45 minutes.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Breading & Coating
03 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
04 - 2 large eggs
05 - 2 tablespoons water
06 - 1 cup grated Romano cheese
07 - 1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
→ Cooking
08 - ¼ cup olive oil
09 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
→ Lemon Sauce
10 - ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
11 - 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
12 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
13 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
# How To Make It:
01 - Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to an even ½-inch thickness using a meat mallet. Season both sides generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - Arrange three shallow dishes: the first with all-purpose flour, the second with eggs beaten together with water, and the third with Romano cheese thoroughly combined with breadcrumbs.
03 - Dredge each seasoned chicken breast in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip into the egg wash, allowing surplus to drip off, then press firmly into the Romano-breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides evenly.
04 - Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches if needed, add the breaded cutlets and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until deeply golden and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer to a warm plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
05 - Carefully pour off excess oil from the skillet. Add fresh lemon juice and lemon zest to deglaze the pan, scraping up any fond from the bottom. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce lightly emulsifies.
06 - Return the chicken cutlets to the skillet and spoon the lemon-butter sauce generously over each piece. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to reheat through. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately with lemon slices on the side.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The Romano cheese crust gets impossibly crispy and savory in a way that regular breadcrumbs alone never could.
- That lemon butter sauce comes together in the same pan, so you get all the flavor with almost no extra effort.
02 -
- Do not rush the pan frying by turning up the heat, because the Romano cheese burns easily and turns bitter before the chicken cooks through.
- Letting the breaded cutlets rest for five minutes before frying helps the coating set and prevents it from falling off in the pan.
03 -
- Use a meat mallet starting from the center and working outward to get an even thickness without tearing the meat.
- Keep the finished cutlets tented loosely with foil rather than wrapped tight, so the crust stays crispy while you finish the sauce.