Thinly pounded slices of meat or poultry can become one of the most versatile ingredients in your cooking repertoire. Probably the dish for which my native Austria is most famous, for example, is Wiener schnitzel, literally “Viennese slice” — a thinly pounded piece of meat that, in the style popular in the Austrian capital, is coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried. Other kinds of schnitzel might be sauteed, like the “Holsteiner” schnitzel, and garnished with caper butter, anchovies and a fried egg.
Dishes based on cutting, pounding and cooking thin slices don’t end there. The French have various kinds of escalopes, the English their cutlets. And in Italy, similar dishes are referred to as scaloppini, a preparation of which I’ve long been a fan, growing up as I did not far from the northeastern Italian border.
This leads me at last to the following recipe. It’s a perfectly light main dish for a springtime supper: chicken scaloppini with lemon butter.
You’ll be surprised by how quickly you can put this elegant, delicious chicken dish on your dinner table. Prepping the scaloppini is surprisingly simple. Start by purchasing boneless, skinless chicken breast halves. Then cut each one in half crosswise, with the knife blade at a 45-degree angle to help achieve as uniform a thickness as possible for each half. Then one piece at a time, place in a heavy-duty plastic bag, and pound the chicken with a meat mallet or the bottom of a small, heavy pan until you’ve flattened the chicken to a uniform 1/4- to 1/3-inch thickness.
From that point on, the cooking of such thin pieces happens very quickly, and the rich, lemony pan sauce that finishes the dish couldn’t be easier to make. The preparation’s versatility doesn’t end there, either.
You can simply change the deglazing liquid to Marsala or sherry or another fortified or regular wine, or to a different kind of citrus juice, or to broth enriched with a touch of cream, and you’ll wind up with a wide range of other delicious dishes. Or change up the recipe even more by substituting pork, lamb, veal, or turkey breast.
The accompaniment offers yet another opportunity for variety, too. Many people like to serve the scaloppini with rice or mashed potatoes to soak up every last drop of the sauce. Sauteed spinach, buttered noodles or a simple salad would be delicious, too.
With one simple technique, you can dramatically expand your options for what to serve for dinner. And whatever creative choices you make, your delicious meal will be ready to serve in less than half an hour, leaving you so much more time to enjoy the pleasures of springtime.
CHICKEN SCALOPPINI WITH LEMON BUTTER
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken-breast halves, each 5 to 6 ounces, cut crosswise and diagonally into 2 equal pieces
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to coat the chicken breasts
Kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra as needed, chilled and cut into pieces
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 1/2 tablespoons drained capers
Good-quality canned chicken broth, or water, if needed
Chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional garnish)
Directions:
Coat the chicken breasts with a little oil. Place 2 halves, spaced apart, in a large heavy-duty plastic bag. With a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy small saucepan, gently flatten the pieces to scaloppini, 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining halves.
Arrange the scaloppini on parchment paper. Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Dust very lightly on both sides with flour.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add the scaloppini, working in batches to avoid overcrowding. Cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once and adding a little butter as needed to prevent sticking. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with the remaining oil and chicken.
Spoon excess fat from the skillet. Add the wine, stir and scrape with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan deposits, and simmer until the liquid has reduced to a glaze. Add the lemon juice, honey and capers. Bring to a boil, and gradually whisk in 6 tablespoons of butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk in a little broth or water, if needed, to reach a thick but fluid sauce consistency.
Return the scaloppini to the pan, and turn them to coat with the sauce. Transfer to a platter or individual plates, with a salad or another accompaniment of your choice. Spoon the sauce over and around the chicken, and garnish with parsley.