Lemon Chicken Scaloppini

By newbaucher

Creamy lemon and white wine sauce over sautéed chicken,
mushrooms, and artichokes served atop a bed of angel
hair pasta, and then sprinkled with pancetta and capers.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Chablis wine OR other very dry white wine
• 1 1/2 tsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 Tbls. real butter
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 tsp. fresh minced thyme OR 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 - 2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 Tbls. olive oil OR vegetable oil
• 8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 lemons – sliced in half
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped, canned artichoke hearts
• 4 tsp. chopped fresh parsley OR 2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1 lb. box angel hair pasta
• 4 oz. pancetta – chopped (optional)
• 4 Tbls. capers (optional)

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

In a 2-quart saucepan, boil wine until reduced by half. Add lemon juice to pan, then whisk in butter until melted. Add 2 cups cream and simmer on low heat until thickened, stirring often. Remove from heat, stir in spices, and set aside.
-Pound chicken breasts with the flat side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a glass until thin.
-Fill a large pot with water and begin to heat to boiling (for preparing pasta later).
-Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat; add chicken to pan and sauté on each side for 60 – 90 seconds, or until chicken is cooked through. Add mushrooms to pan and sauté with until mushrooms begin to soften. Squeeze juice from both lemon halves over chicken and mushrooms; pick out any seeds. Add 1/2 cup cream to pan and bring to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat; stir in artichokes, parsley, and prepared lemon sauce; set aside and keep warm.
-Add pasta to boiling water and cook as directed on package.
-In a separate skillet or pan over medium-high heat, quickly sauté pancetta and capers until pancetta is browned; remove from heat.
-On individual serving plates or one large platter, swirl portions of drained pasta into “nest(s)”. Arrange chicken pieces in center of nest, pour sauce/mushrooms over and around chicken, and then sprinkle pancetta/capers evenly over all.

Notes: If desired, skip the pancetta and capers. This layer does add flavor, but the dish will still be wonderful without it. What I do is chop 4 slices of bacon and sauté them with the chicken instead.