Diana's Chicken Scallopini

Italian Dinner Recipes

4 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breast, about 2 ounces each 1/4 lb. prosciutto, very thinly sliced 2 eggs Flour for dredging 10 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1/4 lb. mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced 6 Tbsp. finely grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese 1/2 c. dry marsala 1/2 c. sodium free chicken stock/broth fresh or dried parsley and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Scallopini is great - the pounding the meat thin is a great stress reliever and the pounded meat cooks quickly. Relieve that stress! Place the chicken breasts between pieces of waxed paper & pound them with a mallet or the back of a cleaver. They should flatten out to approximately 1/4 inch thick. Enrobe the cutlets Lay out the slices of prosciutto side by side on a counter lengthwise. Place one of the chicken cutlets on top of 3 or 4 of the prosciutto slices, laying the cutlet right in the center of those 3 or 4 slices. Fold the upper and lower edges of the prosciutto slices over the chicken cutlet. The cutlet will be partially covered by prosciutto on the side that faces up; flip it over and it will be totally covered by prosciutto. Make sure the prosciutto doesn't fall off the cutlet and set it aside. Repeat with all the cutlets. Break the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl and beat well. Place enough flour to dust the chicken cutlets in a wide, shallow bowl. Dip each cutlet into the egg, coating each one well. Let them drip off a bit, then dip them lightly in the flour. Golden brown time Select 2 medium-size (about 8-inch) heavy sauté pans, place 3 Tbsp. of the butter in each one, & place the pans over medium heat. When the butter is foaming, place 2 cutlets in each pan. Cook the cutlets until they're golden on the outside and just done on the inside (about 2 minutes per side). Meanwhile... While the cutlets are cooking, lay a quarter of the mozzarella slices side by side. Push and mold them together until they make a "slice" of mozzarella that will cover the top of a cutlet. Sprinkle it with 1.5 Tbsp. of Parmesan-Reggiano and push the grated cheese into the mozzarella. You should now have a cheese "slice" that holds together. Repeat until you have 4 "slices". Preheat broiler. When the chicken is done, remove cutlets to a broiler pan. Top each cutlet with a formed "slice" of mozzarella cheese, then place under the broiler. The chicken is ready when the cheese has completely melted and browned slightly. Saucy! While the cheese is melting, make the sauce. Spill the butter out of each of the two pans, & wipe them out lightly with paper towels. Return pans to high heat and add 1/4 cup of the marsala & 1/4 cup broth to each pan. Boil quickly until only 4 Tbsp. of liquid is left in each pan. Turn heat to low & place reserved, unused 2 Tbsp. of the butter in each pan. Swirl with a whisk until a creamy brown sauce is formed. Divide the cutlets between two plates & drizzle the marsala sauce over and around them. Sprinkle parsley and crack pepper over all. Serves 2 immediately. Enjoy! -Diana

Submitted by Diana Bogue
Contributed on: Thursday January 3rd, 2008 and modified on Friday January 11th, 2008