Lemon Chicken Romano: perfect for your comfort food fix
This lemon chicken romano dish is perfect for your comfort food fix! Each thin chicken filet is coated with romano cheese, panko bread crumbs, and fresh herbs for a flavor-filled meal. This is easy to make, quick to bake, and is a great weeknight dinner. Pair with your favorite steamed vegetable, rice, or even pasta to make this meal complete.
How to Make Lemon Chicken Romano
Let's find out how to make lemon chicken romano step by step.
Prepare the chicken
Pat the chicken breasts dry before preparing. Slice the chicken breasts through their thickness horizontally. Let them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Pound the chicken breasts with a mallet if needed to get them all the same thickness.
Prepare the breading station
Mix together the panko, romano, oregano, and lemon zest to make the dry mixture. Whisk together the egg and flour for the wet mixture. To bread the chicken use two hands – one for the wet and one for the dry. Coat the chicken breasts in the wet mixture and let the excess drip off. Transfer to the breadcrumb mixture and pack on the bread crumbs with the other hand.
Sear on the stove
This step ensures a crispy exterior. Simply heat the oil over medium high heat and sear the coated chicken for 2 minutes per side.
Top and bake
Transfer the chicken to the baking sheet and top with the mozzarella. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through.
Tips
Use two hands for the coating portion of this recipe. One for the wet bowl, and one for the dry bowl. This will help not make too much of a mess on your hands while preparing. Watch the chicken in the pan when you are browning it to ensure it does not burn.
Variations
To reduce the amount of calories you can omit the cheese. However, don’t skip the baking step because the chicken needs to finish cooking. You could omit the lemon and top with marinara sauce after baking.
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved through their thickness 1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese 1 large egg 1 tbsp all-purpose flour ¾ cup panko bread crumbs ½ cup packed shredded or grated romano cheese 1 tbsp minced fresh oregano, plus more for garnish 2 tsp lemon zest ½ tsp garlic powder Salt and pepper to taste ⅓ cup olive oil 4 lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle each side of the chicken with salt and let stand at room temp for about 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle each side of the chicken with salt and let stand at room temp for about 10 minutes.
In a shallow dish, whisk together the flour and egg until combined. In another shallow dish, mix the panko, oregano, romano, and lemon zest.
In a shallow dish, whisk together the flour and egg until combined. In another shallow dish, mix the panko, oregano, romano, and lemon zest.
Pat the chicken dry and move to the breading station to coat the chicken. Doing 1 cutlet at a time, dredge in the egg mixture until coated. Allow any excess egg to drip off. Transfer it to the bread crumb mixture and coat in the breadcrumbs. Repeat with the rest of the cutlets.
Pat the chicken dry and move to the breading station to coat the chicken. Doing 1 cutlet at a time, dredge in the egg mixture until coated. Allow any excess egg to drip off. Transfer it to the bread crumb mixture and coat in the breadcrumbs. Repeat with the rest of the cutlets.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat with the oil. Once the oil is heated add 2 of the breaded chicken cutlets and cook for 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Transferred to a baking sheet. Repeat with the last 2 cutlets.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat with the oil. Once the oil is heated add 2 of the breaded chicken cutlets and cook for 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Transferred to a baking sheet. Repeat with the last 2 cutlets.
Top the cutlets with the shredded mozzarella and bake for about 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Garnish with lemon wedges and more oregano if desired.
Top the cutlets with the shredded mozzarella and bake for about 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Garnish with lemon wedges and more oregano if desired.
Notes
Make this gluten free by replacing the flour with gluten free flour and finding gluten free bread crumbs. Substitute different cheeses if desired. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
