You may have noticed that I’ve blogged about this recipe before. Not this exact same recipe, but something pretty damn close. There is just something about mushrooms, capers, and a lemon sauce that draws me in; it’s inescapable. I want to eat it every night for dinner, it’s so comforting and goes perfectly with the glass of white wine I drink each night – for my health!

Note that I didn’t follow the recipe below to a T. I wanted to! I really did, but I had an artichoke issue and then I forgot the pancetta. C'est la vie.

Chicken Scallopini with Mushrooms & Artichokes

1 lbs mushrooms, sliced

12 oz artichoke hearts - frozen or canned

3 oz pancetta

2 Tbs capers

2 chicken breasts, butterflied if needed, and pounded thin

3-4 Tbs flour for dredging the chicken

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbs avocado/grapeseed oil for frying the chicken + 2 Tbs for sautéing the mushrooms

For the lemon butter sauce:

¼ cup lemon juice

2 Tbs white wine

½ cup cream

½ cup chicken broth

1 tsp corn starch

3 Tbs butter

salt and pepper

Heat a pan on the stove top, and add the pancetta - cook until browned and crisp.

To the same pan, add the mushrooms, and 1 tbs of oil if needed. Season with salt and black pepper, and saute until mushrooms are fully cooked - about 8-10 minutes.

Slice the artichoke hearts into quarters and add to the pan with the mushrooms.

Add the capers, and cook for a few more minutes.

Butterfly the chicken breasts if they are quite thick, or simply pound them to flatten to ¼ inch thickness. (I like to put the chicken in a zip lock, one piece at a time, and completely seal it, before I flatten it with a meat mallet). Cut the flattened chicken into smaller pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dredge in flour lightly.

In another pan, heat the remaining 2 tbs of oil, and fry the chicken pieces, approximately 3 minutes per side. Add cooked chicken to the mushrooms and artichokes.

Make the sauce by heating the lemon juice and white wine, and boil until reduced by a third.

Add cream and cook until slightly thickened. Mix 1 tsp corn starch with a bit of chicken broth, to remove lumps, and add to the pan, with the remaining chicken broth. Cook until sauce thickens.

Add butter to the sauce slowly incorporating it, by whisking. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. If too sour, add more chicken broth and corn starch.