Chicken Scallopini

Do you ever crave flavor combinations and then find a recipe to fit these cravings? No? Guess that's just me. I was craving something with mushrooms in a light lemon butter sauce. Add some chicken and a little angel hair? Perfecto. Craving satisfied. You simply can't go wrong with making your cravings into a pasta dish. Carbs are totally good for you, right?

I dreamed up this dish on the way home from work one day and then was lucky enough to have everything I needed to realize my vision. As such, this may not be exactly what you think of when you think Chicken Scallopini  - I just vaguely remember that a dish similar to this is generally listed on Italian restaurant menus. So I did a little recipe research and confirmed my Scallopini suspicions. :)

Not too much to say today, so I guess we'll get to the food!

Notes:

• When I buy chicken breasts, I butterfly them to make them into smaller portions. Sam's Club chicken breasts are MASSIVE. So if you have thick chicken breasts, either cut them down the middle or pound them thinner so that they are cutlet size and cook faster.
• When adding the dredge flour (the flour you seasoned in the beginning and rolled the chicken in) to the mushrooms, add enough flour to soak up all of the oil / butter / liquid in the pan. If 2 T. is not enough, then feel free to add more. The more flour you add, the thicker your sauce will be. Make sure to cook it for a few minutes until the flour starts to brown, so that you cook out the raw flour taste - yep, that's a thing.
• If you're a lemon fiend like me, add a little more lemon juice to taste and / or add lemon slices!
• Do not rinse your pasta! Strain it through a colander but don't rinse away the lovely starches that sit on the surface of the pasta.
• Speaking of pasta, you should undercook it just a touch - extra al dente - when you boil it so that it will not overcook when you add it to the skillet and let it absorb the sauce for ~1 minute.

Chicken Scallopini

• 1/2 c. flour
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 t. garlic, minced
• 4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/2 c. white wine
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• parsley, chopped
• 1/2 lb. angel hair

Place the flour onto a plate or shallow dish and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, roll each piece of chicken in the flour and place into the hot skillet. Cook on each side, ~3-5 minutes (depending on the thickness of the meat), until the chicken is golden brown. Flip and continue to cook until both sides are golden brown. Remove from the pan to a plate covered with a paper towel to drain any excess oil.

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. Prepare the pasta per the package directions, except undercook it by 1 minute.

Place the butter into the skillet to melt and saute the mushrooms until they begin to brown, ~5-7 minutes. Once the mushrooms are browned, add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Take 2 tablespoons of the seasoned dredge flour and sprinkle it over the mushrooms. Stir continuously for 2 minutes to brown the flour.

Deglaze the skillet with the wine and chicken broth, scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the lemon juice and season with salt if needed. Simmer the sauce for at least 5 minutes, until it thickens.

Once the sauce thickens and the pasta is cooked, add the pasta to the skillet and stir until completely coated. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with a piece of chicken on top.