Chicken Scallopini with Fontina & Sage

Chicken Scallopini with Fontina and Sage is a restaurant quality dish, and offers an exquisite taste of Northern Italy. This elegant dish pairs mild poultry with rich, herbaceous notes. It is a sophisticated yet comforting meal that will impress your dinner guests.

Fresh sage contributes an earthy, aromatic quality that elevates the flavor profile. The buttery, nutty richness of Fontina cheese melts perfectly over the meat, creating a beautiful contrast. These two key elements come together for a robust culinary experience.

The pairing feels wonderfully indulgent while remaining delightfully simple. It brings restaurant-quality Italian comfort food straight to your table.

Chicken cutlets are lightly dredged in flour and seared in olive oil until golden brown. Fresh garlic and red pepper fakes are added and sautéed until fragrant. White wine is then added to deglaze the pan, then the chicken simmers with a little broth creating a delicious wine sauce. The chicken is then finished with a layer of fontina cheese, and fresh sage.

Twilight skies and romantic ties:

One rainy afternoon, I found myself aimlessly surfing the web for culinary inspiration for a date-night I had planned for later on in the week and stumbled upon Giada De Laurentiis’s famous Chicken Scallopine with Fontina and Sage. While her family-style recipe looked comforting, I decided to adapt the dish, refining the technique to create a truly elevated, restaurant-quality masterpiece.

Wanting to elevate the family-style recipe into something truly special, I decided to tweak a few things. Instead of keeping it casual, I lightly seared the chicken cutlets and deglazed the pan with a dry white wine and garlic reduction. I topped the chicken with fresh sage and creamy Fontina, letting it melt into the rich, bubbly wine sauce for a restaurant-quality finish.

When I served it with a drizzle of wine sauce over the chicken, it looked like something from a high-end restaurant. It instantly became one of my go-to date night recipes. 

It doesn't have to be served just on date night, now, this elevated dish is requested by my family and friends on a weekly rotation, proving that a simple chef’s touch can bring restaurant-quality magic right to the dining table. 

Ingredients:

2 lg. chicken breasts, halved lengthwise & pounded

Kosher salt 

Freshly ground black pepper 

1/3 cup all-purpose flour 

Extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped 

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 

1/2 cup dry white wine 

1 cup chicken stock, hot

6 lg fresh sage leaves, chiffonade 

4 slices Fontina cheese, thinly sliced 

2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided 

Directions:

Wash the chicken under cold running water, then pat dry using paper towels. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper, then, lightly dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Working in batches, add the chicken and sear until lightly browned on both sides, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Return the pan over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp oil if needed. Add the garlic, and red pepper flakes, and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in the wine, deglaze the pan and reduce by half.

Add in the stock, and sage, return the chicken and season with salt and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, lower heat to low and contiune simmering uncovered until the chicken cooks through, about 3-5 minutes.

Top each piece of chicken with cheese, cover and continue simmering until the cheese melts about, 1-2 minutes. 

Remove from heat, add in the butter and stir until the sauce thickens slightly. Season with salt and black pepper If needed, plate and serve.

Why This Recipe Works:

Pan-searing the chicken creates a flavorful base of caramelized drippings (fond). Deglazing with wine lifts these compounds while providing acidity to cut through richness. Earthy, herbal sage connects perfectly with both the poultry and the wine, while Fontina melts smoothly, binding the savory elements together into a cohesive sauce.

Together, these components establish a classic flavor balance. The wine’s brightness and the sage’s herbaceous aromatics elevate the mild flavor of the pan-seared meat. The Fontina then adds a creamy, nutty depth that thickens the pan juices into a silky, cohesive sauce without masking the other flavors.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

You will love this chicken with Fontina and Sage because it offers a flawless harmony of rich, savory flavors and luxurious textures. The golden-seared chicken provides a satisfyingly crisp exterior that yields to tender, juicy meat, serving as the perfect canvas for the vibrant herbal notes of fresh sage.

Binding these elements together is a luscious, velvety reduction of wine and Fontina cheese that coats every bite in decadent creaminess. The bright acidity of the wine elegantly cuts through the rich, buttery profile of the melted cheese, creating a sophisticated yet comforting dish that tastes like a five-star culinary experience.

Recipe courtesy of chef Frank A. Saulle 

Watch the full video on youtube:

https://youtu.be/9xJ63YKAgZw?is=qFxDdLQdvyzBgQlE