Chicken Tenders Scampi
A simple, quick and delicious recipe. Great for any day of the week or weekend gourmet dish.
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Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds organic chicken tenders Rinse, dry and cut each tender into 3 pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme finely chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 lemons (Zest 1 lemon, Juice 2 lemons and thin slice 1 lemon)
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons very cold butter cut into 4 equal pieces
Instructions
- Season the cut up chicken tenders with the salt, black pepper, paprika and 1 teaspoon of the minced garlic.
- In a six quart sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Sauté - in three batches - the chicken tenders for 4 minutes per batch. Mix two to three times per batch to allow the tenders to cook evenly. Remove each batch and set aside.Note: Add more olive oil if necessary, It's important to cook the chicken in small batches. This way the chicken won't release excess liquid. I used a total of 3 tablespoons olive oil to cook the chicken.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté the shallots for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining garlic and thyme and sauté for up to 1 minute.
- Add the wine, scraping up any of the flavorful brown bits (deglaze) and cook until the wine is reduced to half.
- Add the chicken broth, lemon zest and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced to about half.
- Add, 1 teaspoon at a time, the cornstarch whisking while adding each teaspoon to prevent lumps. Cook, whisking constantly until the sauce starts to thicken - about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the cold butter - 1 tablespoon at a time. Whisk each tablespoon of butter until it is fully melted. The sauce will start to look creamy.
- Add the chicken tenders - coat with the sauce and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
- Garnish with the fresh lemon slices. Plate, serve and enjoy.Note: I served this with my Creamy Mushroom Carbonara Polenta.
Notes
You can use shrimp in this recipe. It's important to use cold butter since it will melt slower to create the creamy texture. Also use a wine that you can drink - it does not need to be the most expensive; I usually choose a Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio.