Sun-dried tomato chicken scallopini features thin, pan-seared chicken coated in a delightfully tangy, herby sun-dried tomato pesto sauce. This chicken comes together in 35 minutes and is best enjoyed on a bed of freshly cooked pasta. Say hello to your new favorite weeknight dinner.
My first tangle with chicken scallopini came from mom’s dog-eared copy of Betty Crocker 30 Minutes or Less cookbook. It was a southwestern style scallopini that mom doctored because we never had the ingredients we needed. And boy did it whet my appetite for thin, tender, butterflied and sauced chicken.
Her scallopini was pure perfection. From the deliciously browned light breading, to the flavorful pan sauce that dribbled down the oh-so tender and juicy chicken in scrumptious lemony rivulets.
Taking a my queue from mom, I made my own spin-off from the Betty Crocker recipe and created this creamy pesto chicken scallopini. We enjoyed it so much that I thought, why not try a sun-dried tomato pesto version? And voila! This spin-off of a spin-off recipe was born.
Ingredients
- Chicken – we used large Costco-sized chicken breasts for this recipe and butterflied them. You can also cut larger breasts into tenders and flatten to 1/2″ thickness with a meat tenderizer. Just make sure whatever chicken you use is roughly 1/2″ thick so that it cooks uniformly and according to the recipe.
- Flour – for dredging the chicken, resulting in a nice browned pan-seared coating.
- White wine – dry white wine works best in this recipe, like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.
- Chicken broth – use low sodium chicken broth to cut down on the salt content and to allow better seasoning to taste.
- Sun-dried tomato pesto – the perfect tangy, herby, and nutty addition to this recipe.
How to Make Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Scallopini
Prepare the Chicken
Butterfly the chicken breasts. To do this, use a sharp knife and carefully slice one of the chicken breasts in half along the long edge, creating two roughly ½” thick slices of chicken breast. Repeat for the other piece of chicken, making 4 thin chicken slices total.
Alternately, you can cut each chicken breast into two chicken tenders and then use a meat tenderizer to flatten the chicken into ½” thick slices. Both methods work equally well.
Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge the seasoned chicken in the flour on both sides and set aside. Discard the remaining flour.
Cook the Chicken
In a large non-stick skillet, heat ½ tablespoon of avocado oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, place two of the chicken breasts in the pan. Cook on one side for about 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Flip the chicken over and brown an additional 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. Remove the chicken and place in a dish. Cover with tin foil.
If the oil is dark, carefully wipe it out with a dry paper towel. Add the remaining ½ tablespoons of avocado oil to the pan. Immediately add the remaining two breasts and repeat the browning process. Remove and add to the plate with the other chicken. Cover with foil.
Prepare the Pan Sauce
If the oil is dark, carefully wipe it out with a dry paper towel. Reduce heat to medium. Add the wine and chicken broth to the pan, cooking until the liquid volume is decreased by about half, approximately 2 minutes. Whisk in the pesto. Return the chicken to the pan and warm for 1 to 2 minutes, spooning sauce over the top of the chicken. Remove from heat and serve.
What to Eat With Chicken Scallopini
- Fresh pasta, like fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti, or potato gnocchi
- Potatoes, like garlic roasted potatoes, brown sugar sweet potatoes, or a simple baked potato
- Other grains, like brown rice, Israeli couscous, or farro
- Vegetables, like oven-roasted broccoli, cauliflower steaks, roasted asparagus, or grilled green beans
How to Store and Reheat
- Storing – You can store this chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. For homemade pesto, store any leftovers in an airtight container or resealable jar in the refrigerator for 5 days.
- Reheat – we recommend warming a large skillet over medium-low heat. Lightly mist the pan with cooking spray. Add the chicken to the pan and add a few tablespoons of chicken broth to the pan to prevent burning and to help the pesto coating become more sauce-like. Warm the chicken, covered, for 5 to 7 minutes or until warmed through.
Let us know what you think about this recipe for sun-dried tomato chicken scallopini by dropping a comment and/or rating on the recipe card below! Also, please consider sharing to social media/Pinterest if you loved this recipe! Thank you! 💕
Other Chicken Recipes:
Check out these other tasty chicken recipes:
- Creamy pesto chicken scallopini
- Italian herb chicken
- Instant Pot shredded chicken
- Creamy chipotle chicken
- Chipotle chicken bowls
Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Scallopini
Ingredients
- 1 lb large chicken breasts, butterflied (about 2 breasts)
- ½ tsp sea salt, more to taste
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper, more to taste
- â…“ c unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil (or other high smoke point oil)
- ½ c dry white wine
- ½ c low sodium chicken broth
- ½ c sun-dried tomato pesto
Instructions
- Butterfly the chicken breasts. To do this, use a sharp knife and carefully slice one of the chicken breasts in half along the long edge, creating two roughly ½" thick slices of chicken breast. Repeat for the other piece of chicken, making 4 thin slices total. Alternately, you can cut the chicken breast into two chicken tenders and then use a meat tenderizer to flatten the chicken into ½" thick slices. Both methods work equally well.
- Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge the seasoned chicken in the flour on both sides and set aside. Discard the remaining flour.
- In a large non-stick skillet, heat ½ tablespoon of avocado oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, place two of the chicken breasts in the pan. Cook on one side for about 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Flip the chicken over and brown an additional 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. Remove the chicken and place in a dish. Cover with tin foil.
- If the oil is dark, carefully wipe it out with a dry paper towel. Add the remaining ½ tablespoons of avocado oil to the pan. Immediately add the remaining two breasts and repeat the browning process. Remove and add to the plate with the other chicken. Cover with foil.
- If the oil is dark, carefully wipe it out with a dry paper towel. Reduce heat to medium. Add the wine and chicken broth to the pan, cooking until the liquid volume is decreased by about half, approximately 2 minutes. Whisk in the pesto. Return the chicken to the pan and warm for 1 to 2 minutes, spooning sauce over the top of the chicken. Remove from heat and serve. We recommend pairing with fresh pasta and oven-roasted broccoli.
Leave a Reply