The fabulous thing about a scalloppini is that you can do anything with it. Marsala? You bet. Piccatta? Absolutely. But supposing you’re really lame like me and have no wine with which to cook? Then you make something up.

The goods:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded thin, then cut in half (yield: 4 pieces total)
flour
butter (6 oz or thereabouts, unsalted)
chicken stock (organic/low sodium. about… 1 cup?)
cremini mushrooms, sliced (uhh… a good handful.)
lemon juice (squeeze bulb. a good couple tablespoons)
salt, pepper (to taste)

The method:
dredge your thin chicken pieces in flour. make sure you get flour in all the nooks and crannies.
get a skillet nice and hot. melt most of the butter. leave about 1 tbsp for the end.
when butter is slightly foamy, slide chicken in.
cook until golden brown on both sides. AND make sure it’s done in the middle.
temporarily remove chicken to a plate.
add mushrooms to whatever butter is left in the skillet (add some olive oil if you’re running dry)
saute until nice and soft.
add chicken stock. if you’ve got anything stuck to the bottom of the skillet, use a wooden spoon now to get it scraped up.
reduce just a little bit. add your lemon juice.
cook that whole pile of awesomeness for a few minutes until slightly thickened. return the chicken to the sauce and make sure it gets nice and coated. Now would be your moment to add salt, pepper, or whatever seasonings you think you still need.
at the very end, add that last pat of butter and swirl around to melt it and mix into the sauce.

Service:
Plonk chicken on plate. Spoon on top some of those beautiful mushrooms and some of that delish sauce. Serve with grains and veg of choice – we had couscous and broccoli.

Ain’t it grand?