Scallopini – Easy, Quick and Low Fodmap
Low fodmap chicken scallopini – is it even possible? Think of all the butter, the mushrooms, the alcohol!!! How the heck could I make it low fodmap and IBS safe with wicked ingredients like that? Well I did because I found a way to make it keep the flavors and lose the fodmaps.
First of all chicken scallopini sounds complicated, but it is one of the quickest, easiest Italian dishes to make. When you are just home from work and wondering what to make for dinner, you can throw it together and still impress your family.
All right, not exactly “throw it together”. I hate recipes that say “pop” it into the oven” or “whip all the ingredients together in a flash,” Let’s face it, there is always more time involved than a recipe indicates. But honestly. this one can be started in the morning and refrigerated the night before. Than you really can whip it together (uh oh, I am just as bad as other recipe writers.) Um, I mean put it together quickly enough to keep your family from whining every minute, “Is it ready yet?”
***Of course when it is ready, they will all have gone off to walk the dog, dig around in the attic or hide out in the garage just when the food hits the table. But I can’t help with that. Ha ha.
Anyway, this recipe is also very adaptable to different ingredients as long as you keep the initial cooking method. Why? It is made in the exact same way as veal scallopini, the classic Italian dish; however, for those who refuse to eat veal, and also for us who need low fodmap alternatives, this is a happy and delicious take on that classic dish.
No Longer Too Much Fat or Fodmaps
Formerly known for its high fat and high fodmap ingredients, this dish is adaptable to change without compromising it’s yummy, buttery, lemony taste. Use less butter, omit the mushrooms, or just double up the chopped parsley for color. You could substitute broth for wine to give the dish more umami flavor. (I love to use that word. It’s very big with Food Network chefs. Ha ha)
You can also omit the mushrooms, which have fodmaps, if you can’t tolerate them. I include them in my picture because canned mushrooms aren’t high fodmap and they look pretty. But if you hate them, just sprinkle lots of chopped fresh Italian parsley over the sauce at the end to make up for the lack of mushrooms. Your dish will still taste wonderful and look very pretty,
In restaurants, any scallopini is almost invariably made with Marsala wine. I find Marsala too sweet. Also alcohol, even in small amounts, can cause IBS distress , so use white wine, broth or just water as an alternative to the marsala. Many find Marsala too sweet; however, the choice of wine, broth or water is yours and believe me when I say that either with or without wine, your family or guests will think this lovely scallopini dish is delicious and memorable. (If not, just think, oh good, more for me. he he)
I use organic chicken (my first choice) or Perdue chicken because Perdue (at least in their ads) seems to care about raising chickens in a more humane and organic way. I try not to choose it because it’s cheaper.
How to Keep This Recipe Quick and Simple
After you assemble all the ingredients, chop the canned or regular, safe, mushrooms(if using), pound the cutlets, flour the cutlets and juice the lemons, the actual cooking goes very quickly. You might even pound the cutlets, chop parsley, chop the mushrooms the night before, and keep them in plastic bags in the refrigerator. Then you are several important steps closer to getting your dinner made in 30 or so minutes. I say “or so” because who knows what craziness can get between making dinner and the cat knocking over the flour, or the children deciding to paint the walls with markers or other typical challenges that recipe writers fail to mention.
Ingredients:
!/2 to 1 lb. thin organic chicken cutlets
2 to 4 tbsp. butter
2 to 4 tbsp. olive oil (I use Filippo Berio Olive Oil for its mild flavor)
1/2 cup of all purpose flour, placed in a large zip-lock plastic bag or GF AP flour, if you have wheat issues
1/2 tsp Fody Food seasoning ( without garlic or onion), 1/2 tsp salt. 1/2 tsp ground pepper, mixed into flour
1 Tbsp. fresh finely chopped Italian parsley
1/2 lb. to 1 lb. safe low fodmap mushrooms (or omit mushrooms), sliced (canned mushrooms are low fodmap and certain kinds of mushrooms are acceptable. Check the fodmap app)
3 peeled cloves of garlic, sliced and used to infuse the oil and then removed
2 medium lemons, juiced and pits removed
1/2 to 1 cup of water or white wine, or Marsala wine
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
Place chicken cutlets on a cutting board covered tightly with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Cover them with another piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper and with a wooden mallet, pound the cutlets to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Try not to take out your aggression on these innocent cutlets. You want them thinner, not maimed,
Remove from the cutting board and place them into a large plastic bag containing the seasoned flour. Close the bag and shake until all the chicken cutlets are coated with a thin layer of flour. Remove each cutlet from the plastic bag, shake off the excess flour, and place on a plate until you are ready to sauté them.
Wash off the cutting board or use a different one. Chop the canned (or alternative safe low fodmap) mushrooms, if using, and dry them well. On the cutting board, slice them in half and then into quarters. Set aside.
Take out an 8 ” skillet and melt two tbsp. of butter (or vegan butter) with 2 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. When the butter is bubbling throw in the chopped mushrooms and stir them around until they are coated with the butter and oil. Sprinkle them lightly with sea salt. Continue to cook them over medium high heat until they cook down and become browned and look done. Turn off the heat and set them aside.
In a 9″ or 10″ non-stick skillet, over medium high heat, place another 1 -2 tbsp of butter and 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. When the butter is foaming, throw in the garlic. Keep stirring the garlic making sure the butter and oil become flavored with it. Let the garlic become golden, but not get too brown or Heaven forbid, burn! Take out the garlic.
Add the floured chicken cutlet pieces 4 at a time. Brown them on one side (3 to 4 minutes) and then turn them and brown the other side. Remove them from the pan and place them on a plate. Finish browning the cutlets in batches of 4 at a time.
When all the cutlets have been browned and are on the plate, cut the two lemons in two and squeeze the juice into a tea strainer over a small bowl and set aside. Fill a 1/2 to 1 cup measure with either marsala wine, white wine, broth, or water.
Turn the heat back on in the skillet where you browned the cutlets, and when the juices left in the pan are bubbling, add the water, broth or wine, and lemon juice to the pan.
Add 2 tbsp. of butter, the mushrooms ,if using, and bring the sauce to a boil. Stir the pan and add in the chicken cutlets. Season with salt and pepper and check the seasoning of the sauce.
You may want to add more butter, more water, or more lemon juice depending on how it tastes to you, and depending on how much you are watching the calorie content of the dish. My mom added an entire half a stick of butter and a cup of water, but she didn’t have a clue about fat content. I am trying to keep the wonderful flavor, and still reduce the fat, but if you want more butter, who am I to say.
When sauce returns to a boil, cover the pan and turn down the heat to a simmer. Sprinkle with the fresh chopped parsley and stir it into the sauce. Simmer the chicken scallopini for 15 minutes. Remove the cover, stir the sauce which has now thickened nicely, turn off the heat and serve. If not serving asap, just keep the cover on and let it sit on a back burner for 15 minutes or so.
This dish goes well with risotto or even sushi rice; it takes 30 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
Low Fodmap Chicken Scallopini
Ingredients
- 1 lb thin organic chicken cutlets
- 2 to 4 tbsp butter or vegan butter
- 2 to 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup of all purpose flour placed in a large zip-lock plastic bag
- 1/2 tsp seasoned salt 1/2 tsp salt. 1/2 tsp gound pepper, mixed into flour
- 1/2 lb to 1 lb white button mushrooms (optional-have fodmaps) sliced
- 3 peeled cloves of garlic (remove after infusing the oil/butter mixture) sliced
- 2 medium lemons juiced and pits removed
- 1/2 to 1 cup of water or white wine (Always use table wine)
- Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place chicken cutlets on a cutting board covered tightly with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Cover them with another piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper and with a wooden mallet, pound the cutlets to a thickness of 1/8 th inch.
- Remove from the cutting board and place them into a large plastic bag containing the seasoned flour. Close the bag and shake until all the chicken cutlets are coated with a thin layer of flour. Remove each cutlet from the plastic bag, shake off the excess flour, and place on a plate until you are ready to sauté them.
- Wash off the cutting board or use a different one. Wash the dirt off the white mushrooms and dry them well. On the cutting board, slice them in half and then into quarters. Set aside.
- Take out an 8 " skillet and melt two tbsp of butter with 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. When the butter is bubbling throw in the chopped mushrooms and stir them around until they are coated with the butter and oil. Sprinkle them lightly with sea salt. Continue to cook them over medium high heat until they cook down and become browned and look done. Turn off the heat and set them aside.
- In a 9" or 10" non-stick skillet, over medium high heat, place another 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil. When the butter is foaming, throw in the garlic. Keep stirring the garlic making sure the butter and oil become flavored with it. Let the garlic become golden, but not get too brown or God forbid, burn! Take out the garlic. Add the floured chicken cutlet pieces 4 at a time. Brown them on one side (3 to 4 minutes) and then turn them and brown the other side. Remove them from the pan and place in an oven proof dish. Keep them in a 200° oven to keep warm while you finish browning the rest of the cutlets in batches of 4 at a time.
- When all the cultlets have been browned and are resting in the warm oven, cut the two lemons in two and squeeze the juice into a tea strainer over a small bowl and set aside. Fill a 1/2 or 1 cup measure with water or white wine.
- Turn the heat back on in the skillet where you browned the cutlets, and when the juices left in the pan are bubbling, add the water or wine, and lemon juice to the pan.
- Add 2 tbsp of butter, the mushrooms and the garlic and bring the sauce to a boil. Stir the pan and add in the chicken cutlets. Season with salt and pepper and check the seasoning of the sauce.
- You may want to add more butter, more water, more wine or more lemon juice depending on how it tastes to you. My mom added an entire half a stick of butter and a cup of water, but she didn't have a clue about fat content. I am trying to keep the wonderful flavor, and still reduce the fat, but if you want more butter, who am I to say.
- When sauce returns to a boil, cover the pan and turn down the heat to a simmer. Simmer the chicken for 15 minutes. Remove the cover, stir the sauce which has now thickened nicely, turn off the heat and serve. If not serving asap, just keep the cover on and let it sit on a back burner for 15 minutes or so.
- This dish goes well with risotto or even sushi rice and takes 30 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook. Serves 4 - 6
This looks so delicious! Jack and I are going to make it tomorrow.
Mom your blog looks a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!!!!