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Macaroni Grill Chicken Scallopini Recipe

Last Updated on June 12, 2022

Today, we’re going to be taking a look at a Macaroni Grill chicken scallopini recipe. Chicken scallopini is one of the most popular dishes from Macaroni Grill – and it’s not difficult to see why. Thin slices of chicken with a powerful sauce; what more could you ask for? But how do you make this fan-favorite? Let’s take a look.

What Is Chicken Scallopini?

While the traditional translation of the word “scallopini” is “small scallops”, it now simply refers to thin meat. Thin slices of chicken are the main ingredient in chicken scallopini. It’s usually served with a lemon and caper sauce, as well as on a bed of pasta. While you can make chicken scallopini in a range of flavors and with different sauces, the chicken scallopini from Macaroni Grill is traditional.

What Is Macaroni Grill?

Macaroni Grill is a casual restaurant in the US. It’s known for serving American-Italian food, and has been around for over 30 years! There are over 40 locations throughout the US. If you enjoy pasta – Macaroni Grill is definitely the casual dining place for you.

Ingredients in Macaroni Grill Chicken Scallopini

The ingredients in our Macaroni Grill chicken scallopini recipe today are:

  • lemon juice
  • white wine
  • heavy cream
  • unsalted butter
  • salt
  • pepper
  • capellini pasta
  • olive oil
  • chicken breasts
  • all purpose flour pancetta
  • mushrooms
  • artichoke hearts
  • capers
  • parsley

How do you grill chicken without drying it out

Macaroni Grill Chicken Scallopini Recipe

Now let’s get down to why you’re here – how to make this fan favorite! This recipe is inspired by a recipe from The Spruce Eats.

Ingredients

The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are:

For the sauce:

  • 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup of white wine (preferably dry)
  • 1/2 cup of heavy cream
  • 2 cups of butter (unsalted)
  • a pinch of salt
  • a pinch of ground black pepper

For chicken and pasta:

  • 1lb of pasta (preferably capellini)
  • 2 teaspoons of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons of butter (unsalted)
  • 6-8 chicken breasts (thin)
  • 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour (you may need slightly more)
  • a pinch of salt (to add to the flour)
  • a pinch of black pepper (to add to the flour)
  • 6oz of cooked pancetta
  • 12oz of sliced mushrooms
  • 12oz of artichoke hearts
  • 1 tablespoon of capers
  • chopped parsley
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Recipe

Now all you need to do is:

Step 1: Prepare your sauce

Gather all of the ingredients you need for your sauce. Grab a saucepan and place onto a medium heat. Pour in your white wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Once it’s reduced by around a third, add the cream. Leave for around 3-4 minutes and the mixture should begin to thicken. At this point, add your butter gradually until completely combined. Now add salt and pepper to your taste and remove from heat.

Step 2: Cook pasta and chicken

Gather your chicken and pasta ingredients. In a large saucepan, fill with water and add a large amount of salt. Cook your pasta in water until al dente. Drain and keep warm, until needed. Season your flour with salt and pepper. Place your chicken into the flour and leave to one side. Add butter and oil to a skillet and once hot, add your coated chicken until completely cooked. Once cooked, remove from pan and set aside. Add the capers, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and pancetta to the skillet. Once cooked, add the chicken back to the pan.

Step 3: Enjoy!

Now mix your pasta and chicken together. Add the sauce and toss until completely coated. Your dish is now ready to serve! Alternatively, you can plate the pasta first with half the sauce and then place the chicken on top with the remaining half of the sauce. Enjoy!

What does scallopini style mean

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped you to become more familiar with a Macaroni Grill Chicken Scallopini recipe. It’s a really tasty dish that doesn’t take much time at all. It’s also a great dish to offer if you have guests offer – and it’s reasonably healthy too!

Do you have any tips or tricks when it comes to making the perfect scallopini? If so, please feel free to let me know in the comments below. Sharing is caring!

FAQs

What is the Difference Between Scallopini and Piccata?

While the two are very similar, there is a difference between scallopini and piccata. Scallopini is how you prepare the chicken (thinly sliced) with a sauce. Whereas the piccata is usually the sauce that you pair with scallopini. Piccata sauce is thin and tastes strongly of lemon and capers.

What Does Scallopini Style Mean?

The style of scallopini is an Italian way of cooking. Scallopini simply means thin slices of meats, that do not contain any meat. While this recipe calls for chicken scallopini, you can actually do this style of cooking with many meats. Other popular choices include veal and beef. When making chicken scallopini, you can usually make three cuts per chicken breast.

How Do You Cut Chicken Scallopini?

You may be wondering how to cut the perfect chicken scallopini. It's much simpler than it may sound. All you need to do is grab your chicken breasts and a chopping board. Cut the breasts into three slices (widthwise). Now hold your knife at an angle (around twenty-thirty degrees if perfect). Now slice the breasts (you will have oval shapes). Once you've cut all of the breasts this way, you'll need to pound the chicken. Pound the slices between plastic wrap. The thickness you're aiming for is around a quarter of an inch.

How Do You Grill Chicken Without Drying It Out?

When grilling chicken, one of the most common problems you can encounter is the chicken drying out - but it's super easy to avoid. All you need to do is brine your chicken before you grill it. To brine your chicken, just place your chicken into a mixture of water and salt. This helps it to brown and retain moisture when on the grill. It's a foolproof trick for making the tastiest, juiciest chicken. 

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