Spontaneous Chicken in Mustard Sauce

The Best of Food & Wine, 1984

30 minutes — 4 Servings

Ingredients

4	tablespoon	unsalted butter
1	tablespoon	vegetable oil
4		spontaneous chicken cutlets (see notes below)
1	bunch	of scallions (white part and about 2 inches of the green – about 1 cup, thinly sliced)
1	cup	heavy cream
1⁄2	cup	dry white wine
2	teaspoon	mustard seed
1	tablespoon	dijon style mustard
		salt and pepper

Instructions

In a large skillet set over moderate heat, melt the butter with the oil until foamy. Working in batches, as necessary, sauté the chicken cutlets for 1 minute on each side (the chicken will finish cooking in the sauce). Remove from the skillet and set aside. Reserve the drippings in the skillet.

In the same skillet, stir-fry the scallions over moderate heat, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the cream, wine and mustard seed and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

Stir the mustard into the sauce; season with salt and pepper to taste. Return the for chicken cutlets to the skillet and turned to coat them with the sauce. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through. Serve with the sauce spooned over the top.

Notes

Spontaneous chicken cutlets are the perfect solution to a last-minute dinner; they are thinly pounded chicken cutlets – which are individually wrapped and stacked neatly in the freezer. They can be sautéed from a fresh or frozen state. With the addition of a simple sauce and side serving of rice or noodles, they make splendid entrées.