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This Heart Healthy Chicken Scallopini recipe is a fragrant Italian dish that features garlic, white wine, and citrus in every bite. In this one-pan chicken recipe, butterflied chicken is browned on the stovetop before being topped with a silky sauce of lemon and fresh herbs to create a low-fat, low-cholesterol, and low-sodium chicken scallopini that tastes as authentic as your grandmother used to make.
A healthier take on an Italian favorite, this heart-healthy chicken scallopini recipe is packed with flavor while being good for you, too. With just 4g of saturated fat and 28g of protein, our lemon chicken scallopini is a great option for anyone looking for a heart healthy chicken recipe. It’s also low in sodium, which is good for your heart. And with only 13g of carbs, it’s a diabetic friendly chicken dish the whole family can enjoy. You’ll also love that this easy chicken dinner is ready in under an hour.
Restaurant chicken scallopini can be unhealthy when it’s heavily breaded, fried in oil or butter, covered in a creamy sauce and served with a heaping pile of pasta. We made this homemade chicken scallopini healthier by lightly coating it and reducing the amount of fat used in cooking. The breaded chicken is covered in a light sauce that combines garlic, wine and fresh lemon, making this a tasty low sodium chicken recipe without the need for added salt.
Heart healthy diets typically focus on eating less saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. That’s not always easy to do when you want to enjoy your favorite foods. At Health eCooks, our professional chefs work with registered dietitians to create recipes that are lower in fat, cholesterol, sodium and calories. In this recipe, we’ve done this by only lightly breading the chicken, replacing some of the butter with olive oil (and using less) and adding flavor with lemon, herbs and wine rather than relying on salt or heavy cream. The result is a dish that tastes authentic while being good for your heart. For more heart smart dinner ideas, check out these easy dinner recipes for a heart healthy diet.
Instead of making high carb pasta to eat alongside chicken scallopini, serve this Italian chicken recipe with side dishes full of healthy nutrients and few calories. Why not pair this lemony chicken with Garlic Roasted Broccoli, Zucchini Quinoa Pilaf or Oven Roasted Tomatoes? Tuscan White Bean Soup or this healthy Caesar Salad are great ways to start off this healthy meal.
Recipe yields 4 servings
In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess flour.
In a heavy skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium heat until hot. Add the chicken and cook, in batches, until lightly brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes each side. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside, covered to keep warm.
In the same skillet, add the garlic and sauté over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the wine and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom. Cook until the wine is reduced by half. Add the lemons, lemon juice, and chicken broth to the pan and cook over medium until the lemons are tender and the liquid has reduced. Add the parsley and black pepper to taste.
Arrange the chicken topped with the sauce. Serve immediately.
If you love Italian food but don’t like the nutritional profile of traditional Italian dishes, try some of our other healthy Italian chicken recipes, such as Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Piccata or Chicken Cacciatore. Prefer a vegetarian dish? You can’t go wrong with this Risotto Primavera.