Grocery Outlet Gourmet

Well it’s been a while since my last post. Mostly because I can’t seem to find my creativity lately! And not just with crafts. No this dry spot has carried over into the cooking department as well.  It’s been pretty aggravating to say the least and I’m kind of over boxed meals and frozen entrees. But I had a great weekend and I’m feeling much renewed. So let’s hope I can get some kind of momentum going and give you all some fun stuff to read. For starters I thought I would give you a great new GO Outlet feature.

I thought I would begin by reminding everyone what exactly this feature is about. Good food of course! But it’s more about finding creative ways to use what is available to create delicious dishes. And more often than not this calls for a bit of substituting. And that’s just what this recipe in particular is all about. It would, of course, be nice to have the money to shop in a top notch gourmet specialty store for things like pancetta and reserve label white wines. And while that may not always be possible, it doesn’t mean you can’t have fabulous tasty meals anyway. And so I bring you Chicken Scallopini! One of my all time favorite meals!

So let look at what you will need.

2 ounces lemon juice – 10 for a $1.00 = $0.202 ounces white wine – $3.99 a bottle = $0.33
3 ounces half & half (subbed for heavy cream) $1.99 a quart = $0.19
2 sticks of margarine (subbed for butter) $0.99 a pack = $0.50
6 (3 ounce) chicken tenders $5.99 a bag = $1.80
1/2 cup flour – About $0.20
4 ounces prosciutto (subbed for pancetta) $0.25 for a 3.75oz pack!!
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced - 1/3 pack at $1.50 = $0.50
1 lb cappellini, cooked – ¼ pack at $0.99 a pack = $0.25

To start you’ll want to cut the chicken tenders in half and pound them flat. Then you’ll set them aside. Next bring the white wine and lemon just to a slow boil over medium heat. Let this simmer until it’s reduced by a third.

Now you’ll add in the half and half and cook until thickened. Now half and half will never get the sauce as thick as heavy cream would, but if you give it a little time is will thicken up some.

Once it’s a little thicker, you’ll start adding the butter.  Use a whisk and make sure that it’s well incorporated. You can season it with a little salt and pepper and then set it aside.

This is when you’ll want to start you’re pasta water and while you’re waiting for it to boil you can start the chicken. The first thing you’ll want to do is dredge in the flour. Again you’ll want to season the flour with salt and pepper.

Next, heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a deep sided sauté pan. When the pan is nice and hot you’ll sauté the chicken medallions until golden on both sides. You really shouldn’t need much in the way of oil – just enough to keep the chicken from sticking. Once it’s nice and browned, remove it from the pan and set aside.

Now you’ll add in the mushrooms and the prosciutto and sauté until the mushrooms are tender. You may need to add a little butter depending on the fat content of the prosciutto.

To finish, you’ll added the chicken back into the pan and ladle about half of the sauce over everything. Give it a minute or two for all of the flavors to come together while you drain the pasta. Divide in to four equal portions and you're good to go! You can use the remaining sauce for the pasta is needed.

And there you have it – Chicken Scallopini! One of my all time favorite dishes! It’s such a great mix of the tangy lemon butter sauce and the smoky saltiness of the prosciutto. Some recipes call for artichoke hearts and capers as well. I don’t care for either of these and feel the dish is quite perfect without them.

So how does it all work out? The total for four servings was $4.52! That means that the per person cost was $1.13! And that my friends, is a pretty amazing and delicious deal!

Hope you enjoy!