Chicken Scallopini With Lemons And Olives
This is a recipe I first posted on the blog back in 2002, but when I did my blog redesign, I did not have a recent photo of the dish, so it went on “my list”. This list is of recipes that I need to make once again to tweak the ingredients, and take larger (and improved) photos of.
Unfortunately, this list included over 50 recipes and due to the fact I always seem to be working on new dishes, I never seemed to have the time to go back and revisit some of these old recipes on “my list”.
I have recently received a couple of emails for this easy chicken dish, so this week it went on my kitchen schedule. This is a lovely, quick chicken dish that would work for busy mid-week family meals, or for casual entertaining with friends. I love the way lemon and olives brings out the flavor of the tender chicken cutlets, and help to create a highly flavorful sauce.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele
Chicken Scallopini With Lemons And Olives
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Seasoned Flour (Flour Seasoned With Salt, Pepper, And 1 Teaspoon Oregano)
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Cloves Garlic, Peeled & Minced
- 1 Cup White Wine
- 2 Lemons, Very Thinly Sliced
- Juice From 1 Lemon
- 1 Cup Chicken Broth
- 12 Black Olives, Pitted And Chopped
- 1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
- Salt & Pepper
To Finish:
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
Instructions
- Cut each chicken breast into 3 thin slices, and pound thin.
- Dredge the chicken pieces into the seasoned flour.
- Heat the oil and butter in a heavy frying pan and once hot cook the chicken in batches on medium heat until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes each side.
- Place the chicken pieces on a warm tray and cover.
- Add the garlic to the pan and cook another minute or two until fragrant.
- Add the wine to the pan and on medium high heat, scrape up the browned bits on the bottom.
- Cook until the wine has reduced by half.
- Add the lemons, lemon juice, and chicken broth to the pan and cook over medium until the lemons are tender and the liquid has reduced.
- Add the olives, parsley, and butter and mix well, and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken on a platter, and pour the sauce on top, then serve immediately.
Notes
Note: If your sauce has not thickened as much as you would like, you can easily thicken it by whisking in 1 Tablespoon of softened butter mixed with 1 teaspoon of flour.chicken
Hi Deborah,
That sound wonderful – quick and tasty, and it looks so tempting. Thanks for this one. I am glad you have reposted it.
I love you website and allyour recipes. They take me back to my many trips to Italy.
Our family really enjoys this dish. It lends itself to subtle mods. For example, using olives from different sources will change things just enough so that the dish takes on a refreshing newness each time it is prepared. Also, being a fan of the cuisine of our southern Mediterranean neighbors in Morocco, I have learned to use their quintessential condiment, preserved lemons, in a lot of my Italian cooking. You can find more here: http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/moroccanfood101/a/Preserved_lemon.htm
They are incredibly easy to prepare, and then readily available in your kitchen, even when you may not have immediate access to fresh lemons. Preserved lemons bring a refined, true lemon bouquet to the party much more so than any fresh lemon. Theycan also bring salt, which is easily controlled, by rinsing or soaking in cold water before using, just like the saltiness of anchovies can be adjusted.
Thanks for sharing. Buon appetito!
This looks lovely. I was wondering what to make myself for dinner this evening, and this fits the bill perfectly as I have some chicken and a lemon that needs to be used. I also have some prawns that I might just throw into the pan!
I usually make this dish using capers and have never tried olives. Did you use regular black olives, or the Greek Kalamata type of olives? I would think either would work, but the Kalamata olives may need to be minced instead of sliced since they have such a pungent flavor. The photo looks like Kalamatas were used, though………
I only use flavorful Kalamata or Gaeta olives, never canned olives which I feel have no flavor. I simply cut my olives in half as we enjoy the zesty flavor.
Thank You! I’ll be brave this evening and use the Kalamatas! I realized after I posted my comment/question how silly it was to ask if you used regular olives in this dish! I should have known better. I, too, Love the Kalamatas, and I’m going to cut them in half as you recommend. Thanks for the timely response, as I’m just now getting things prepped for dinner. Perfect timing!
Have a Blessed Christmas Holiday Season, Deborah! Thanks for the delectable recipes, as always, and especially for the cookie ideas in today’s email. I’m in the process of building my Christmas packages to ship and some of your cookies tucked in the boxes will be appreciated, I’m sure!
I prefer chicken thighs to breasts. Can I assume I can substitute without a problem?
Sue, sure you can substitute thighs, though cooking times will be different as the cutlets are quite thin.
This was amazing. I added some sliced mushrooms while the wine was cooking. My 3 year old daughter and I gobbled it up. 🙂