Chicken Scallops in Mushroom Sauce

Here's another elegant dish with so much bold flavor that you'll have trouble believing it's low fat and healthy. Using the French technique of cutting the chicken breasts in half and quickly sauteing them on each side leaves them exceptionally tender and juicy.

We spiked the mushroom sauce with a tiny bit of vermouth, and used beef broth instead of chicken for a heartier, mellower flavor. It's so easy to impress someone with this meal, and it's amazingly quick to make. We suggest you have everything prepped and beside the stove before you start cooking. It's that fast!

This is fantastic with steamed green beans and a nice tossed salad.

Ingredients

2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
2 tbsp vermouth or dry white wine
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups fat free beef broth
1 tbsp oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cups sliced white mushrooms
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

Directions

Stir together the thyme, vermouth, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth, and set it aside.

Lay a chicken breast on a cutting board and place your hand on top of it. Using a sharp knife, slice the breast through the middle from edge to edge, creating two thin fillets. Do the same with the remaining breasts.

Heat a large frying pan, then add the oil and swirl it around to coat the pan. Add half the breast fillets and saute on medium-high heat for 4 or 5 minutes, until the side is cooked but not browned. Flip them over and cook the other side. Remove them to a warm dish and cook the other half of the breast fillets. Keep them warm while going on to the next step.

Place the mushrooms in the pan and saute until they start to turn tender. Stir in the garlic. Return the chicken breasts to the pan. Pour the broth mixture over the breasts and gently stir it. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer 5 minutes.

Stir together the cornstarch and water. Pour it slowly into the sauce, stirring constantly. Keep simmering and stirring until the sauce has become a thin gravy (about 3 to 5 minutes). Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.

Each 3 oz. chicken scallop with 1/4 cup sauce has 4 grams of fat and approximately 250 calories.