Giada's Chicken Scallopine with Saffron Cream Sauce

Here is my other Giada recipe for tonight's dinner. My brain is a little fried, so I don't have much in the way of witty commentary today. I guess I will just keep it simple and tell you that I will serve this dish with a small baked potato on the side, and the artichoke recipe from the previous post. Wish me luck...I have had enough cooking disasters this week!

Giada's Chicken Scallopine with Saffron Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound chicken cutlets (scallopine)
2 shallots, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the chicken
cutlets with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until golden and cooked
through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to serving
plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Turn the heat to medium, add the
shallot and the garlic and cook until tender, about 2 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine is almost evaporated.
Add the chicken broth and saffron threads, bring to a simmer and reduce for 10 minutes. Add the cream, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and simmer for 1 minute to blend the flavors. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.



The Result:
Well, the highlight of this meal was definitely the artichokes! Oh man, they were yummy. The Gorgonzola one was my favorite, but the cheddar/Parmesan one was really good too. If you don't like blue cheese, it is a good option. The artichokes was like eating warm, cheesy, artichoke dip and artichoke the vegetable all in one shot. It seriously made eating vegetables fun. Granted, cheese and heavy cream would make anything fun. I will make these again, especially if I can get artichokes at a good price again.
The chicken was good, but not stellar. It was chicken. The saffron cream sauce was really good, but nothing spectacular. Although, my saffron is really old (like 2 years old) and I think all the flavor is gone from it. Maybe if I had fresh saffron, the flavor would have left more of an impression. I will say it was pretty easy to put together...on the fancy side, but easy enough for a weeknight meal. The sauce tasted like it was more labor-intensive than it actually was to make. I think this sauce was a good way to dress up plain chicken. I would make this again, if I had all the ingredients and I had no other chicken tricks up my sleeve.