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Lemon Chicken Romano

Lemon Chicken Romano features thin, golden cutlets pan-fried until the Pecorino Romano coating shatters, then finished with a bright lemon-butter caper sauce. The result is crispy Romano cheese chicken with a glossy, quick lemon butter glaze—ideal 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: 780
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken cutlets and seasoning
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Halved horizontally into 8 thin cutlets.
  • 0.25 tsp salt To taste.
  • 0.25 tsp pepper 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-frying and sauce
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp butter Divided; 2 tbsp for pan-frying.
  • 2 tbsp butter Divided; 2 tbsp cold for glossy sauce.
  • 4 cloves garlic 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
 

Breading setup
  1. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, then set up three stations with flour, beaten egg, and a mixture of Pecorino Romano cheese with panko breadcrumbs.
  2. Dredge each cutlet in flour, dip into the beaten egg, and press firmly into the Romano coating so it adheres.
Pan-fry the cutlets
  1. Heat olive oil with 2 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot, then pan-fry the cutlets for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden and crisp.
  2. Remove the cutlets to a plate while you make the lemon-caper sauce.
Make the lemon-caper butter sauce
  1. In the same skillet, cook the minced garlic for 30 seconds over medium-high heat until fragrant.
  2. Deglaze with dry white wine, then add fresh lemon juice and drained capers and simmer for 3 minutes to concentrate the flavors.
  3. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of cold butter until the sauce is glossy and smooth.
Serve
  1. Plate the chicken Romano cutlets and pour the lemon-caper butter sauce over each, then garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

For the shatter-crisp crust, keep cutlets thin and press the cheese-panko coating firmly before frying; avoid crowding the pan so the oil stays hot. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat in a skillet over medium heat to re-crisp instead of microwaving. Freezing is not recommended because the crust loses crunch. For a lighter version, use part-skim Pecorino Romano and replace half the butter with olive oil while still finishing the sauce with a small amount of cold butter for gloss.