This Chicken Modiga is a cozy Italian-American chicken dinner made with golden breaded chicken, sautéed mushrooms, a white wine lemon butter sauce, and melty Provel cheese. It's rich, savory, just bright enough from the lemon, and exactly the kind of dish you'd find at an old-school Italian restaurant on The Hill here in St. Louis.
Living on The Hill, I've learned that Chicken Modiga is one of those classic Italian-American restaurant dishes people really love. It feels special and a little nostalgic, but at its core, it's a very approachable recipe: thin chicken cutlets, a simple breading, browned mushrooms, wine, broth, lemon, and cheese.
As a cookbook author and professional recipe developer, I love taking restaurant-style dishes like this and making them doable at home. The key is building flavor in layers: season the chicken, let the mushrooms brown, reduce the wine, and finish with lemon zest for brightness.
Serve this with pasta, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, or crusty bread for soaking up every bit of the sauce. For more cozy Italian-inspired dinners, try my Chicken Limone, Spaghetti Bolognese, and Penne Pomodoro.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It tastes like a classic Italian-American restaurant dinner. Breaded chicken, mushrooms, white wine sauce, and melted cheese make this feel hearty, comforting, and special.
- It has a St. Louis connection. Chicken Modiga is often served at Italian-American restaurants on The Hill, my neighborhood in St. Louis.
- The sauce is rich but balanced. Butter, mushrooms, white wine, chicken broth, lemon juice, and lemon zest create a savory sauce with just enough brightness.
- It's impressive but approachable. This looks and tastes like a restaurant dish, but the steps are straightforward and easy to follow.
- It pairs with almost anything. Serve it with pasta, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, or a simple green salad.
Chicken Modiga Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need for this recipe:
- Chicken breasts: Use two large chicken breasts, then halve them horizontally into thinner cutlets. Thin chicken cooks more evenly and works best with the breading and sauce.
- Italian breadcrumbs: Italian breadcrumbs create a golden, flavorful coating.
- Parmesan: Parmesan adds salty, savory flavor to the breading and the topping.
- Mushrooms: Cremini or white mushrooms both work well. The most important thing is letting them cook until browned.
- Garlic: Garlic adds depth to the mushroom sauce.
- Dry white wine: White wine gives the sauce acidity and flavor. Let it simmer before adding the broth so the sauce tastes smooth, not sharp.
- Chicken broth: Broth gives the sauce body and keeps it savory.
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice brightens the sauce and balances the richness.
- Lemon zest: Lemon zest adds fresh lemon flavor without making the sauce too acidic.
- Provel cheese: Provel is the classic St. Louis choice and gives this dish its local Italian-American feel. If you can't find Provel, use a mozzarella and provolone blend.
- Fresh parsley: Parsley adds color and freshness before serving.
How to Make Chicken Modiga
Prepare the Chicken
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pound the chicken to an even thickness, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Add flour to one shallow bowl, beaten eggs to a second bowl, and Italian breadcrumbs mixed with Parmesan to a third. Dredge each piece of chicken in flour, dip in egg, then coat in the breadcrumb mixture.
Cook the Chicken
Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden. Transfer to a baking dish and top with Provel cheese and Parmesan.
Cook the Mushrooms
In the same skillet, melt butter. Add mushrooms and cook for 5-7 minutes, until golden.
Make the Sauce
Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then pour in white wine and scrape up any browned bits. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add chicken broth, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 5-7 minutes, until slightly reduced.
Bake and Serve
Pour the mushroom sauce over the chicken. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, broiling for 2-4 minutes at the end if needed. Top with fresh parsley and extra lemon zest before serving.
Tina's Top Tips
- Let the mushrooms brown. This is one of the biggest flavor builders in the recipe. If the mushrooms are pale and watery, the sauce won't have the same depth.
- Don't rush the wine. Letting the wine simmer for a few minutes helps mellow the flavor and keeps the sauce from tasting harsh.
- Use thin chicken cutlets. Thick chicken breasts take longer to cook and can throw off the timing. Halving the chicken breasts horizontally keeps everything more even.
- Use Provel for the classic St. Louis feel. It melts beautifully and gives this dish that familiar Italian-American restaurant flavor.
- Finish with lemon zest. The juice brightens the sauce, but the zest makes the whole dish taste fresher.
- Loosen the sauce if needed. If the sauce reduces too much, add a splash of chicken broth, pasta water, or a small pat of butter before serving.
Substitutions and Variations
- For the most classic St. Louis-style flavor, use Provel cheese. If you can't find it, use mozzarella, provolone, or a blend of both.
- For a creamier version, stir a splash of heavy cream into the sauce after the wine and broth have reduced.
- For a brighter lemon flavor, add extra lemon zest right before serving.
- For a little heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the mushroom sauce.
- For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free flour and gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- For a slightly lighter version, use less cheese or skip the broiling step and simply spoon the sauce over the chicken before serving.
What to Serve with Chicken Modiga
Chicken Modiga is delicious with pasta, especially angel hair, spaghetti, or fettuccine. The mushroom lemon butter sauce also works really well with mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes.
For something lighter, serve it with roasted asparagus, green beans, broccoli, or a simple arugula salad. Crusty bread is also a great choice because you'll want something to soak up the sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken Modiga is an Italian-American chicken dish made with breaded chicken, mushrooms, white wine sauce, lemon, and cheese. In St. Louis, it's often served at Italian-American restaurants on The Hill.
Provel cheese is commonly used in St. Louis-style Chicken Modiga. If you can't find Provel, a mozzarella and provolone blend is a good substitute.
Yes. Replace the white wine with extra chicken broth. The sauce will taste a little different, but it will still be flavorful.
Cremini mushrooms or white button mushrooms both work well. Cremini mushrooms have a slightly deeper flavor, while white mushrooms are more mild.
Storage and Reheating
- Store leftover Chicken Modiga in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat, place the chicken and sauce in a baking dish, cover loosely with foil, and warm in a 350°F oven until heated through. You can also reheat it gently in a skillet with a splash of chicken broth to loosen the sauce.
- The breading will soften a bit once stored with the sauce, but the flavor will still be delicious.
Chicken Modiga
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 2 large chicken breasts halved horizontally
- ½ cup flour
- 2 eggs beaten
- ¾ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- Salt + pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
For the Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced (cremini or white)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- Juice of 1 small lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Salt + pepper to taste
Topping:
- 4-6 slices Provel cheese or mozzarella + provolone blend
- 2 tablespoons parmesan
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: Pound chicken to even thickness. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bread the chicken: Dredge in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan.
- Cook the chicken: Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken 3-4 minutes per side until golden. Transfer to a baking dish and top with proven and parmesan. Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Cook the mushrooms: In the same pan, melt butter. Add mushrooms and cook 5-7 minutes until golden and their moisture cooks off.
- Build the sauce: Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Pour in white wine and scrape up any browned bits. Simmer 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth, lemon juice, and zest. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, until slightly thickened and reduced.
- Assemble and bake: Pour the mushroom sauce over the chicken. Broil 2-4 minutes until melted and bubbly.
- Finish and serve: Top with fresh parsley and a little extra lemon zest.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Leave a comment below or tag us @tasting.with.tina on Instagram!
Leave a Reply