My slow cooker gets a lot of use during the winter months. But sometimes I don’t have the time to prep early in the day and am scrambling to come up with a quick dinner that I can have on the table in 20-30 minutes. That’s when an old standby like Gardein’s Chick’n Scallopini comes out of my freezer to provide the protein for a quick mid-week meal. I still have a couple of packs in my freezer that are the gluten-free formula, but judging by the negative reviews on Gardein’s website, Gardein’s decision to add gluten has not been well received.
So, in the sincere hope that Gardein will come to its senses and return to its old gluten-free formula, I decided to go ahead and share one of my favorite pairings: Chick’n Piccata and Fruity Brussels Sprouts.
Both the Chick’n Piccata and the Fruity Brussels Sprouts take about the same amount of time to prepare, and although you need to use two skillets, this meal can be on your table in about twenty minutes. If you don’t feel like you can manage two skillets at the same time, you can also roast the Brussels sprouts in your oven.
Here’s the alternative plan. Just toss the cut sprouts and grapes together in a bowl with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. I don’t think that they come out quite as good as roasting them on the cooktop, but if keeping track of two skillets is too stressful, this is a very easy alternative that will still produce good results.
My hubby and I both cleaned our plates, and for once, we had zero leftovers. Apart from the need to wash two skillets, how’s that for a quick, easy, and healthy mid-week supper?
- 2 cutlets from a 10-ounce package of Gardein Lightly Seasoned Chick'n Scallopini
- 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose white flour
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided use)
- ½ lb. Brussels Sprouts (trimmed and cut in half)
- ½ lb. red or purple grapes (cut in half)
- 2 shallots, finely minced
- ⅓ cup white wine
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
- 1 large lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
- Keep the Gardein Lightly Seasoned Chick'n Scallopini frozen until you're ready to cook them. Put the flour in a shallow bowl, and season it with a little sea salt and pepper. Dredge the frozen cutlets in the seasoned flour.
- Heat 1 olive oil in a medium skillet. Sauté the Chick'n Scallopini for 2–3 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet and set aside on a plate while you make the sauce. Tent with foil.
- In a large nonstick skillet, arrange the Brussels sprouts cut side down. Drizzle the Brussels sprouts with about 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Cover the skillet and cook over a medium high heat for about 5-6 minutes.
- While the Brussels sprouts are cooking, using the medium skillet in which you cooked the Chick’n Scallopini, sauté the shallots in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 5–6 minutes. When translucent, add the white wine to deglaze the pan and cook over low heat until the volume is reduced by half.
- At this point, uncover the larger skillet in which your Brussels Sprouts have been cooking. When you uncover the skillet, the sprouts should be bright green and the cut sides should be starting to brown. At this point, because I am also going to be making the sauce at the same time, I flip the sprouts, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, and add the halved grapes. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes, and then uncover and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in the medium skillet in which you have deglazed the shallots, turn the heat very low. Add the capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, and butter. Whisk or stir the sauce to make sure that everything is well incorporated. Cook for 3–4 minutes. Taste and correct seasonings. Return the scaloppini back to the pan to lightly reheat, turning once to coat both sides with the sauce. Garnish with the fresh chopped parsley and serve with the Fruity Brussels Sprouts.
- Please note: I have deliberately made extra sauce for the Chick’n Piccata because my husband loves this bright lemony sauce and likes to mop it up with a baguette. If you don’t want to make extra sauce, use half a lemon and just one tablespoon of unsalted butter. But honestly, you only live once, so make the extra sauce and enjoy!
- Serves 2
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