Chicken Scallopini with Mushroom Cream Sauce

'kay this dieting thing is for the fakking birds. And you know what else? So is this heat with 176% humidity we're having. :P

That combination does not make for a happy cook. Other than grilled chicken, fish and pork - my repertoire has dwindled down to practically nothing. We aren't enjoying our food these days - we've been eating to sustain. This heat doesn't even allow you to get fancy on the grill because who wants to stand in front of a 550º grill for longer than it takes to cook a chicken breast?? Not I, friends. Not. I.

Oh I could go on for DAYS with my whining and bitching.. I am sooo damn good at that. But I won't bore ya'll with the same old "Oh it's so hot!" routine. But I still have not cooked anything worth sharing, so I figured it was time to dip into the stash of recipes I've made in the past but never got around to blogging about.

Most likely I didn't feel they were blog-worthy, or I had made something fantabulous the same week and went with that recipe.. but hey, it's better than nothing, yes? I've got two chicken scallopini dishes that were pretty tasty, although not too visually appealing. Especially this first one I'm going to share, but it was delish and I really thought Hubbs wasn't going to be too thrilled, but he was!

This is one of those dishes that I most likely read a similar recipe for in the past and mentally filed it away. I remember the gist of these "mental recipes" and it's enough to allow me to just toss stuff into a skillet or pan and create what I had visualized. The dump and go's, as I call 'em. =)

There's nothing better than an evening pounding your meat, is there?

*ahem*


The satisfaction derived from taking out your frustrations on an innocent chicken breast is by far one of those activities that I look forward to after my 8 in the dungeon. All that's required is a couple sheets of plastic wrap, said innocent chicken mammories and a nice flat pummeling device. Personally, I like to whack my meat in beat to a song I am either listening to or a song that's been stuck in my head all day. Everyone once in a while, I'll even try morse code in the beating of my meat. It's always good to keep familiar - you never know when you might get stuck behind enemy lines with nothing but something to tap on, hoping some one will hear you and understand you are under duress. No, I don't really beat my meat in morse code. That's just plain silly. But I do like to take a running start from the opposite side of my kitchen, jump up right before I reach the counter so that I can slap the breasts kung-fu style. I even make that sound.. "Hiiii YAAAAAA"

We should all have fun with our food, don't you agree?

After I've squeezed every bit of stress out of my poor aching body, I dredge my flattened breast through a mixture of flour, salt and pepper. And then I fry - sweet fry - them in 2 TBS. butter and about 3 TBS. of minced garlic until they are golden brown and delicious.

Next comes a quick sauce that's made with the pan drippings after you've removed the crispedy breasts. A cup or two of a good chicken stock and a little white wine, some sliced mushrooms and a handful of sliced green onion set to simmer until the mushrooms are tender. Finally I finish it off with a blurp of sour cream. Nope, no calories in this dish!

I usually serve chicken scallopini over pasta of some sort - I think I went with Pappardelle this time. If I'm making a sauce with my scallopini I try to choose a pasta that will easily hold the sauce. Plop the pasta on the dish, lay the scallopini over it and douse with sauce. Oh. Yeah. Baby. A sprinkling of sliced green onion over top is all that's needed in way of garnish. Serve with a fresh salad and you are all set!

Lisa's Chicken Scallopini with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

2 chicken breasts, pounded flat
1 c. flour
salt & pepper, to taste
2 TBS. butter
3 TBS. minced garlic - about 5 garlic cloves?
1/2 c. sliced green onion, divided (Shallots would also work here)
1 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. white wine
1 c. sour cream (I use light sour cream and it works well)
1/2 c. chicken stock
1 TBS. corn starch
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 lb. pasta, cooked al dente

Pound chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap or in a large ziplock bag.

In a large shallow dish, mix the flour, salt & pepper well. Dredge breasts on both sides.

Cook pasta until al dente.

In a large skillet, heat the butter until it's almost browned. Fry chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides. Remove to a covered dish to keep warm.

Deglaze skillet with 1 c. chicken broth and the white wine, making sure to scrape up all the delicious bits. Add mushrooms and onions, simmer until mushrooms are tender - about 5 minutes. Add sour cream, salt & pepper, mix well. Test for seasoning at this point.

Sauce will be thin. In a small bowl, heat the 1/2 c. chicken stock in microwave until it's warmed and then whisk in the TBS. of cornstarch. Pour into skillet and stir well until sauce has thickened.

Return breasts to sauce and simmer until heated through. Split pasta between two dishes, spoon a small amount of sauce over pasta then lay breast on top and spoon more sauce over breast. Sprinkle with sliced onion and take pictures and dig in!

xoxo