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Chicken Scaloppini with Peppers and Mushrooms for Two

By Cecelia Jenkins

Published on March 3, 2016

Time

1 hour

Yield

Serves 2

Chicken Scaloppini with Peppers and Mushrooms for Two

Ingredients

2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmedSalt and pepper ¼ cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips1 shallot, sliced thin2 tablespoons capers, rinsed1 garlic clove, minced¾ cup chicken broth ½ cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Before You Begin

Placing the chicken breasts in the freezer for 15 minutes before trimming them firms them up slightly and makes them easier to halve. If the breasts have tenderloins attached, remove them and reserve them for another use.

Instructions

  1. Place breasts on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 15 minutes. Working with 1 breast at a time, starting on thick side, cut breasts in half horizontally. Using meat pounder, gently pound each cutlet into even 1/4-inch thickness between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Spread flour in shallow dish. Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge cutlets in flour, shaking off excess, and return to plate.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add cutlets and cook until lightly golden and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to clean plate.
  4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, shallot, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until liquid has evaporated and vegetables begin to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add capers and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  5. Add broth and wine and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cook until slightly thickened and mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 cups (measured with vegetables), 5 to 7 minutes.
  6. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan to heat through, about 1 minute. Transfer chicken to platter and top with vegetables and sauce. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve.
Chicken Scaloppini with Peppers and Mushrooms for Two

Chicken Scaloppini with Peppers and Mushrooms for Two

Headshot of Cecelia Jenkins
By Cecelia Jenkins
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Time

1 hour

Yield

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips
1 shallot, sliced thin
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1 garlic clove, minced
¾ cup chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips
1 shallot, sliced thin
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1 garlic clove, minced
¾ cup chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips
1 shallot, sliced thin
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1 garlic clove, minced
¾ cup chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

This longtime crowd-pleaser at Italian American restaurants (Italian for “thin cutlet”) features thinly pounded chicken breasts that are lightly dredged in flour, quickly sautéed, and served with a vibrant pan sauce of mushrooms, red bell peppers, garlic, capers, white wine, and chicken broth. For a weeknight for-two version, we used two small boneless, skinless breasts and froze them briefly to firm the meat before slicing each in half horizontally (two cutlets per serving). There’s no aggressive pounding needed here (which tends to shred the meat); some gentle pounding was all that was required to even out the thickness of each cutlet. Since we were only cooking four cutlets, we could cook them at the same time in one pan before building our piquant sauce. To finish the sauce, we turned the heat to low, whisked in the butter, and placed the chicken back in the pan to heat it through (about 1 minute).

Before You Begin

Placing the chicken breasts in the freezer for 15 minutes before trimming them firms them up slightly and makes them easier to halve. If the breasts have tenderloins attached, remove them and reserve them for another use.

Instructions

  1. Place breasts on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 15 minutes. Working with 1 breast at a time, starting on thick side, cut breasts in half horizontally. Using meat pounder, gently pound each cutlet into even 1/4-inch thickness between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Spread flour in shallow dish. Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge cutlets in flour, shaking off excess, and return to plate.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add cutlets and cook until lightly golden and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to clean plate.
  4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, shallot, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until liquid has evaporated and vegetables begin to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add capers and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  5. Add broth and wine and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cook until slightly thickened and mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 cups (measured with vegetables), 5 to 7 minutes.
  6. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan to heat through, about 1 minute. Transfer chicken to platter and top with vegetables and sauce. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve.

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