Chicken Scallopini with Saffron Lemon Cream Sauce

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love all things citrus, especially lemons.  This rich cream sauce is a perfect combination of a smooth velvety cream sauce with a hint of tangy lemon.  

The sauce is so good I serve this dish with a baguette to mop up all that saucy goodness. In dire cases if you don’t have bread on hand or run out of bread, licking the plate or spooning the sauce directly into your mouth is recommended. Let no sauce go to waste!!

For the chicken

2 lg boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally 

2 Tbsp olive oil  

2 shallots, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup white wine

1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/4 tsp saffron threads, crushed

1/2 cup heavy cream

Juice from 1 lemon

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until golden and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. 

Turn heat to medium, add shallot and sauté until tender, approximately 2 minutes, being careful to not let them burn.  Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. 

Deglaze pan with white wine.  Using a wooden spoon scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan.  Cook until wine is almost evaporated. 

Add chicken broth and saffron threads.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Add cream, half of the lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine and let simmer to reduce to desired consistency.  Adjust seasoning and lemon juice to taste. If sauce gets too thick, add more chicken broth to achieve desired consistency.

Return chicken to pan to coat chicken in sauce.  Flip to coat other side.  Transfer to serving plate, pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve.