Chicken Scallopini
Chicken Scallopini might sound fancy, but it’s actually an easy recipe. Think thinly-sliced chicken sauteed with onions, peppers and mushrooms and then tossed in a white wine lemon sauce. It’s delicious!
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We enjoy growing a garden each summer. The growing season here in upstate New York is rather short, and we have to wait until after Mother’s Day before we can plant anything. On the backside, we can see our first frost as early as mid-late September, which means our gardening season is only about 3-4 months long. However, that doesn’t stop us.
Growing plants from seeds is rather difficult given the short growing window, so I tried my hand at starting seeds indoors with a heat lamp in February. It was a fun activity for the cold winter months, but it stopped once Robbie was born. (As all of you parents out there know, hobbies tend to change or fall by the wayside when kids arrive.)
My general approach to planting a garden is: plant the usual stuff (tomatoes, peppers, etc.) and then add in something unusual. One year it was okra. Another year it was carrots. I think I’ve found my new unusual plant for next summer.
Capers. I stumbled across this great article on growing capers, and I’m thinking about giving it a try now. Caper bushes are common in Mediterranean counties, which probably explains why capers show up frequently in Mediterranean recipes. The climate here in upstate New York is quite different from the Mediterranean (shocking, right?), so it seems that I’ll have to plant my caper bushes in pots and then bring them indoors in the winter. I already do this with our fig tree, so what’s one more pot?
One of the unique things about growing capers is that you actually harvest the berries daily. (Saffron threads are also harvested daily.) Ok, so maybe this idea of growing a caper bush isn’t as appealing as I thought.
Prep the seeds for months first, bring the pot in each winter, harvest the berries daily, pickle said berries so you can actually eat them. Like most of my project ideas, it sounds fun on paper. However, I suspect it wouldn’t be as much fun in reality. Plus, you can buy jars of pickled caper berries for just a couple dollars. I think I’ll go that route instead!
Chicken Scallopini
Speaking of capers, we love using them to finish dishes or sometimes even herbaceous cocktails. However, when it comes to cooking with capers, Chicken Scallopini is definitely one of my favorite recipes. Chicken Scallopini sounds really fancy, but it’s actually quite an easy recipe. First off, the ‘scallopini’ portion refers to scalloped, or thinly sliced, chicken breasts. No scallops involved in this recipe.
Chicken Scallopini is a one-pot (err, one-skillet) meal that can easily be prepared on a weeknight. The most involved portion of this recipe is simply pounding the chicken breasts into ½” thick pieces. I’ve seen “thinly cut” chicken in the store, so you could certainly go this route, too.
That chicken gets coated in flour and then pan fried until fully cooked. From there, you can use the same skillet to sauté down the onions, peppers and mushrooms. Add some chicken stock, white wine and a bit of cream at the end, and you end up with a delicious pan sauce. Easy peasy and great for weeknight meals! Well, unless you want to grow your own caper plant.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover Chicken Scallopini should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat chicken in a dry skillet over medium heat or in a microwave. Any leftover chicken can also be placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 4 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! It’s one of many recipes that I like to keep in mind for nights when we don’t have any leftovers around. Cheers!
Did you make this Chicken Scallopini recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a quick picture and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Chicken Scallopini
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 8 oz. button mushrooms sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- ½ white onion thinly sliced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp capers
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- chopped parsley for garnishing
Instructions
- Slice each of the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create 4 longer pieces. Working with one piece of a chicken at a time, lay breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet (or a rolling pin), gently pound each piece until it’s ~½” thick. Repeat process with remaining pieces of chicken.
- Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and sprinkle salt and pepper evenly on top.
- Place flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess. Repeat process with remaining pieces. Set chicken aside.
- Using a large skillet, add oil and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chicken and cook 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and fully cooked. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside (on a clean plate).
- Reduce heat to medium and add butter, mushrooms, bell pepper and onions. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes, or until mushrooms have softened.
- Add garlic, capers and lemon juice; cook for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add broth and wine. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Continue sautéing for 4-5 minutes, or until mixture thickens slightly.
- Add cream and stir until well combined. Continue sautéing for 2-3 more minutes, or until sauce has just thickened. Place cooked chicken back in skillet and flip several times, or until chicken is coated with the sauce.
- Transfer chicken to plates and top with spoonful of sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
Looking for more tasty chicken recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
The scallopini looks so creamy and delicious! The mushroom and peppers really are enticing me to make this for a weeknight meal with some pasta.
We did the same thing here, Michelle! This chicken scallopini got served with a bit of pasta for a really tasty (and easy!) weeknight dinner. Thanks so much, my friend!
I’ve never even considered growing my own capers – so interesting! What a beautiful dish, David. So elegant and delicious, but easy to make.
Doesn’t it sound so fun to grow your own capers? I mean they do sound like kind of a pain…but then again, what a unique thing to grow! Thanks so much, Marissa!
I have never thought about growing capers! But why not?! Well, you figured out why not. I’ve love to grow olives, too, but once you read about once involved with getting them into a jar, no way. Anyway, love this recipe. I love capers, and all Mediterranean flavors. And so pretty!
Oh man, I’ve totally dreamed about growing my own olive tree – it sounds like so much fun! But as you pointed out, there’s a lot more that goes into it from there. Same with coffee beans. Wouldn’t it be fun to grow coffee beans!? Ah well, I’ll stick to just buying them from the store. And I agree with you on the Mediterranean flavors, Mimi – yum!
You are not just a wonderful cook, but also a gardener as well? I would never think of growing my own caper berries. How amazing! This chicken looks gorgeous. I love this kind of simple chicken dishes with a full of flavor. What a perfect family dinner menu!
I do enjoy gardening, Holly! To be fair, I’m not growing my own capers…but doesn’t that sounds like fun!? There is absolutely zero gardening going on here in upstate New York at the moment, though. We’re covered with snow and going outside to check the mail is the extent of my daily outdoor activities. Hah! Either way, this chicken scallopini is a delicious meal…it sounds so fancy, but it’s really quite easy to make. Thanks so much, my friend!
I’ve never thought of growing capers before! You’ll have to keep me posted on how it works! This chicken scallopini looks so delicious. I love all those flavors and the mushrooms and peppers too!
Haha – I’m not sure whether or not I’ll tackle growing capers this year. It does sound fun, though, right?? Thanks, Kathy!
So I told Daisy you’d shared a recipe named “Chicken Scallopini”. Right away, she got excited – obviously, she assumed scallops were involved in the recipe. I explained to her that it’s actually a chicken recipe, but David loves to confuse people (I am talking to you, Coffee Cake!) After a little consideration, she replied shat she would be okay with some chicken and broth since there is no one kind to offer her seafood instead.
As for me, I do love this recipe! It’s simple yet elegant (I’d say even festive) and packed with the flavours and textures. Loving those popping colours, too!
Haha – I was indeed thinking about Daisy’s birthday when I made this chicken scallopini, Ben. Sadly, it’s scalloped chicken rather than scallops – I understand if Daisy is a bit cross with me now. I’ll give her some catnip instead! As far as this recipe, it is indeed tasty – and surprisingly easy to make, too. Thanks!
Thats one good looking chicken scallopini! Definitely that plate is not enough for me :p
Haha – I hear ya, Raymund! This is a delicious meal for sure!
Lil S mentioned growing a caper plant the other day and I gave her the eye roll – little did I know the berries had to be harvested daily – cos, THAT would mean a double eye roll! 🙂
Seriously though – what a fun lead-in to this recipe using capers! The chicken looks so dang melt-in-your-mouth deeeelicious!
Ah – who knew that Lil S and I were sharing common dreams of growing caper plants!? That’s hilarious! But, yes, once I learned what was involved with growing and harvesting capers, I gave myself an eyeroll. Haha!
this looks so delicious david. i love chicken and i love capers – mmm maybe i won’t grow a bush either…
This is indeed a tasty meal, Sherry! And it’s much easier to make than growing a caper bush. 🙂 Cheers!
Hey David, I just found your recipe and I’ll be making it tonight. I don’t know a lot about Italian cooking, but this dish sounds so good to me. I will be trying capers for the first time. I see you live in upstate New York. We do too, in the Lake George area. What part are you from? I will check back and let you know how the chicken scalloping was.
Hey Maryann! I do hope you enjoy (enjoyed?) this recipe – it’s a good one with a lot of flavor. 🙂 Capers are one of those fun things that not only make a dish look fun when you serve it, but they bring a good salty flavor as well. I don’t find them too overwhelming myself, but I’m curious to hear your thoughts!
Also, we did indeed live in upstate New York – just south of Saratoga Springs actually. However, we just moved last week down to Asheville, NC. The winters finally got me…haha!