Italian-inspired skillet chicken cooked in a delicious garlic and white wine sauce with tomatoes and mushrooms. It comes together in 30 minutes! Be sure to watch the video for how to make this pan-seared chicken breast recipe, and read on for important tips.
Not your average skillet chicken breast recipe!
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are a staple item in most households because they are versatile and healthy. Plus, the ways you can dress up chicken breasts are endless!
In this recipe, chicken cutlets (breasts) are bathed in a silky, garlicky olive oil and white wine sauce that helps to keep them juicy while also adding depth of flavor to the dish. For a quick one-skillet meal, throw in some mushrooms, tomatoes and a handful of spinach.
How to cook chicken breast without drying it out?
For safety reasons, chicken has to be well-done before serving. Unfortunately, with chicken breasts, there is a fine line between “well-done” and “tough and dry”. In fact, many struggle to know how to cook chicken breast in a skillet without drying them out. There are a couple of things to help with that:
- Slice the chicken breasts into thinner cutlets. One of the main issues is that chicken breasts are typically larger and uneven–there is always a side that is far thicker than the other. So when people cook the chicken breasts as is, they likely have to cook them long enough for the thick side to fully cook, which means the thinner side of the breast will have dried out by then. The solution: turn your chicken breasts into cutlets.I found that cutting chicken breasts into 1/4-inch cutlets made them much easier to cook quickly and evenly! Some stores sell chicken cutlets already packaged, which is fine to use but far more expensive. It is easy to slice your own chicken breasts into cutlets (see my detailed instructions below)
- Sear quickly over high heat, finish cooking in the sauce over lower heat. Once you have your cutlets, you’ll want to give them a quick sear in the skillet. Then, make a delicious white wine and olive oil sauce, in which the chicken will finish cooking, covered, over lower heat, which will infuse the chicken with flavor while keeping it moist.
- When in doubt, use a meat thermometer. Chicken is fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F at the thickest part. Remember, chicken will continue to cook even after you pull it off the heat, so keep that in mind when measuring the temp.
How to slice chicken cutlets from a chicken breast?
- Place the chicken breast flat on a clean cutting board.
- Place your non-dominant hand on top to hold it in place.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the breast horizontally from the thick end to the thin end into 1/4-inch thin pieces.
- If needed, you can also use a kitchen mallet to flatten the chicken.
What you’ll need to make this recipe
These pan-seared chicken cutlets require just a few ingredients to yield a dish that is succulent and garlicky, with just a hint of lemon. Here is what you will need to try this recipe:
- Chicken cutlets: It is easy to slice boneless skinless chicken breasts into cutlets, but store-bought will work just fine!
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Seasoning: I used dried oregano and garlic to up the flavor ante and give it an Italian twist
- All-purpose flour: Coating the chicken lightly in flour gives them a beautiful color when you brown them. Flour also helps to thicken up the sauce.
- Baby bella mushrooms, grape tomatoes, and spinach: The veggies add both bulk and vibrant color to the skillet chicken. And you can change the veggies up according to what you have on hand.
- White wine sauce: Inexpensive dry white wine of your choice, lemon juice, and chicken broth. These form the base of the sauce that the chicken breasts will cook in, adding both flavor and moisture.
How to cook chicken in a skillet?
This recipe for tender pan-fried chicken breasts comes together in no time! And it is so simple and quick to make, even though it tastes like it took hours! Here’s the quick summary of how to make it:
- Season and brown the chicken: Season the chicken (I used a bit of dried oregano with salat and pepper) and dust with a light coating of all-purpose flour, and brown in a cast-iron skillet (this is a great way to create texture and flavor immediately) for about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Saute the vegetables: In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms, tomatos and garlic in some extra virgin olive oil. Don’t forget to season with the same seasonings you used for the chicken!
- Make the sauce: Add the white wine and reduce, then pour in the chicken broth and lemon juice.
- Cook the chicken: Return the chicken to the skillet and cook. Cooked chicken, covered, over low heat for a few more minutes until its internal temperature reaches near 165 degrees F.
- Add spinach (optional): If you have some spinach that needs to be used up, simply stir it in at the end.
Make ahead tips for skillet chicken cutlets
From start to finish, this recipe comes together in about 30 minutes. But if you want to save even more time, here are some make ahead tips:
- Cut the chicken. You can cut the chicken breasts into cutlets the day before and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Slice the mushrooms and veggies. Trim and slice the mushrooms and prep any other veggies you’re using a day in advance and store in a container in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
What to serve with it?
Since this is a skillet chicken with veggies, you don’t need to cook additional sides other than your favorite pasta or maybe rice or herby boiled potatoes. If you like, add a hearty salad such as Mediterranean white bean salad.
Additional Recipe FAQs
Chicken breast cutlets are quicker to cook in a cast iron skillet, they can take as little as 8 to 10 minutes. In this recipe, you’ll them a little differently to ensure even cooking while keeping the chicken moist. You’ll start with high heat to sear the chicken for about 3 minutes or so, and then you’ll finish cooking the chicken over medium-low heat in the sauce for another 8 minutes or so.
A large 12-inch cast-iron skillet with a lid is what I use often to make this recipe.
You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast cutlets in this recipe. Unless they are fairly large, you will not need to cut the chicken thighs for this recipe.
Cooked chicken can be stored in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat in a skillet on the stove over medium heat. To avoid drying the chicken out, add a little bit of liquid to the skillet and cover to reheat.
More Chicken Recipes to Try
Browse more Italian recipes. Browse more Mediterranean recipes.
Italian-Style Skillet Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken cutlets, boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/4-inch thin cutlets
- 1 tbsp dried oregano, divided
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp black pepper, divided
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, more for later
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil,
- 8 oz Baby Bella or white mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and sliced
- 14 oz grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, juice of 1/2 lemon
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- Handful baby spinach, optional
Instructions
- Pat chicken cutlets dry. Season on both sides with 1/2 tbsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Coat the chicken cutlets with the flour; dust off excess. Set aside briefly.
- In the same skillet, add more olive oil if needed. Add the mushrooms and saute briefly on medium-high (about 1 minute or so). Then add the tomatoes, garlic, the remaining 1/2 tbsp oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper, and 2 tsp flour. Cook for another 3 minutes or so, stirring regularly.
- Now add the white wine, cook briefly to reduce just a little; then add the lemon juice and chicken broth.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, then add the chicken back in the skillet. Cook over high heat briefly (about 3 minutes), then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for another 7 to 8 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and its internal heat registers a minimum of 165 degrees F.
- If you like, stir in a handful of baby spinach just before serving. Enjoy hot with your favorite small pasta like orzo and a crusty Italian bread!
Video
Notes
- Make ahead tips: Cut the chicken breast into cutlets, and clean and slice the mushrooms a day in advance.
- Leftovers: Can be stored in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, adding a little water and covering the skillet to reheat gently without drying out.
- Visit our Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils and spices.
I love these meals
Super delicious, quick to make, very little cleanup! Just a *tad* too lemony, so I’ll cut back on that a bit next time. And there will be many more next times!
Would like to know what a good substitute for the white wine would be. My dilemna is that I don’t normally drink white wine and don’t use it in cooking, so it would be wasted to a large degree. I hate wasting food. So, is there something else that I can use in place of the white wine? Another type of wine? Or something that would give it the same flavor? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Hi, there! You could use some chicken broth in place of the wine here :).
Hi, thanks for that info. Where I have a problem is trying to see where Chicken broth would yield the same flavor as white wine. Or is it just another different flavor? I really want to make this recipe, so I want to make sure that I get the flavor right. I have Chicken broth – just trying to imagine the difference in flavor.
The flavor profile, of course, will be a little different if you are substituting wine with chicken broth, but I have made this recipe with both, and it’s delicious either way.
Delicious. I made this tonight with some spaghetti noodles and loved it. With that said, I didn’t have a few ingredients and my hubby doesn’t like mushrooms (darn it lol) so I made some alterations. I didn’t have white wine so I used white wine vinegar. I put in onions and some red and yellow peppers. I also was out of tomatoes so I used a can of petite diced tomatoes. I drained them and put them in with the garlic (about 3/4 of the can) and I saved the juice and added it with the chicken broth. After all that and cooked it down a tad, a added about a teaspoon of sugar since the white wine vinegar is a bit more tangy than the wine itself. Anyway, turned out great! Thanks for the recipe 🙂 Will make it again with the wine and may add some zucchini.
Awesome! Thanks, Christy!
I cooked this last weekend and thought I had left a reply-realized I hadn’t and this is one recipe that definitely deserves one. This was a phenomenal easy quick tasty chicken dinner and one that did not leave you feeling like it was too much or too little. Perfect protein with vegetables and seasoning. I did add the optional spinach and that just made it for me! Thank you again for a wonderful meal that felt healthy and tasty
You’re the best, AJ! Thank you!
Made this tonight! Will definitely be making it again!
Delish!
Amazing chicken dish. Made it exactly like recipe just added some
Chopped onion because it had some left over.
Super tender chicken and loads of savoury flavour
Added rooted potatoes and a green salad. Perfect!!!!
Thanks so much, Lisa!
This was amazing!! My family doesn’t like mushrooms so I used zucchini instead. Served with spaghetti. Seriously, this is my new favorite meal.
What is the serving size for nutrition?
I’ve made your recipe many times before & LOVE it! My baby is being baptized this coming Sunday morning. Her GodParents are coming over for lunch after. I’d love to make this but I’m not sure how to do that. Can I make it all ahead & leave it on a keep warm setting in my crock pot? Should I bring it back to the skillet before adding the spinach?
Advice is greatly appreciated.👍🏻
Hi, Cynthia. You can make it in advance. It has enough liquid and you can probably add a little more to help it reheat well in a covered pan on the stove. I’d hold the spinach and add when you reheat. To be honest, though, this is a quick enough dish to make right before serving. You can prep in the morning, and have all the ingredients ready, then all you have to do is cook them in a skillet. That would be my preference.
Easy and delicious!
Easy, delicious, and looks beautiful! Thank you!
Made this tonight. It was so delicious!! I will definitely make it again. I have loved all of your recipes that I have made.
Love to hear it! Thanks, Abbie!
I really liked this recipe. It’s a delicious twist on chicken. You definitely feel the Italian flavors here. I served it with Spaghetti Aglio Olio from this site and it paired really well.
Perfect combo! Thanks, Claudia!
Made this today. It was delicious! I followed the recipe but doubled the mushrooms and tomatoes and did add fresh spinach at the end. I served it with long grain rice and my husband loved it. I will be making it again.
Glad to hear it! Thanks, Joan!
Easy, healthy and delicious recipe!! Thank you 😊
You are very welcome, Silvie!
Delicious and healthy! Perfect for our household!