Romantic Chicken Scallopine With Saffron Cream Sauce

Greeny4444's Note:

This is a recipe of Giada De Laurentiis's from Foodnetwork.com (but I lessened the salt, added flour, upped the garlic, and added a sauce-thickening tip). It seems like it would be super hard, but it is really not that difficult. The first time I made it was for my husband on Valentine's Day. I had never cooked with several of the ingredients before, and except accidentally buying chicken tenders instead of chicken cutlets, it turned out just lovely. :) I also found saffron threads the cheapest at Whole Foods, almost $7.00 less expensive than the next cheapest place! I served this over angel hair pasta with green beans and garlic breadsticks, and we had Dark Chocolate Souffle for dessert.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 4.0

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb chicken cutlet
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron thread
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• flour (for coating the chicken)
• 3 tablespoons flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat.
2. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, and coat each side with flour (shaking off any excess).
3. Cook the chicken until golden and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to serving plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
4. Turn the heat to medium, add the shallots and the garlic and cook until tender, about 2 minutes.
5. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine is almost evaporated.
6. Add the chicken broth and saffron threads, bring to a simmer (keeping the heat of the pan at medium) and reduce for 10 minutes. Add the cream, salt, and pepper.
7. Stir to combine and simmer for 1 minute to blend the flavors (or let it simmer longer to reduce further). If you want an even thicker sauce, you can mix 1 Tablespoon cornstarch with 1 Tablespoon water, and add it to the pan.
8. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
9. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Reviews

[Axe]

DW says I should make this for our next dinner guests. Hence the 5 stars ;) The flavours are great and I wouldn't change a thing. As suggested, I served it over angel hair pasta and the sauce went perfectly with both the chicken and the pasta. Watch your timing though if serving for guests, as this took me close to an hour waiting for liquids to reduce, etc. Thanks for posting a keeper!

[Chef #652483]

I made this a few times substituting tumeric for the saffron since I didn't have any saffron on hand. I finally bought the saffron and made the dish again exactly as the recipe stated and we decided it was better with the tumeric. If you happen to have the tumeric, I would give it a try that way, it is delicious. The saffron wasn't bad but not quite as flavorful.

[soulever]

I made this after my fiancé found this recipe, knowing how much I love shallots. I have to say it was an amazing flavor! The shallots, garlic and saffron complement each other so wonderfully and it really was a romantic dinner. I made a few alterations by adding a touch of oregano and thyme to the flour mixture used to bread the chicken, as well as throw in some panko crumbs for a little added crunch. I also added a splash of cream sherry as well. I served with the sauce lightly drizzled over the chicken with some asparagus. The sauce-thickening tip really helped too! Many thanks for an impressive recipe, this one's a keeper!