One-Pot Chicken Mudega Skillet Dinner (Chicken with Prosciutto and a Lemon Wine Sauce)

While many people take the opportunity to grill as much as possible during the summer months, personally it's not my favorite. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of food from the grill, but I'm just not a fan of being outside grilling. I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to hot temperatures, and this summer I'm in my 3rd trimester with my baby girl, so I'm really not digging extreme heat. However, I've discovered my love of one-pot and skillet dinners.

One-pot and skillet dinners are quick to prepare, and only require one pot and a few prep utensils, which are easy to clean while the dish is cooking away on the stove. What's not to love?

While menu planning for the week, I was looking through one of my favorite cookbooks, that I've neglected for far too long - The Pasta Revolution by the wonderful people at America's Test Kitchen. I saw a recipe for a Chicken Saltimbocca skillet (one pot dish) that catches my eye every time I open the book. As I was reading it for the 100th time probably, I started thinking about a local favorite of mine - Chicken Mudega, and thought I could easily adapt the recipe in to a chicken mudega dish. Chicken Mudega is a St. Louis based dish, as far as I know, that is a breaded chicken breast topped with Provel Cheese and a madeira wine butter lemon sauce with prosciutto. Delicious! (There's usually mushrooms as well, which I omit because I do not like mushrooms!)

Rob and I were fans, and well, Ty preferred to play with his food. Apparently we've approached the phase where pasta = snakes. This snake fearing mom is not impressed. Plus, I'm the one that cleans the table during bath time, so I'm doubly unimpressed! But what he did eat he liked! But, as for Rob and I, we were fans enough that I'm already planning on making this pretty soon!



One-Pot Chicken Mudega Skillet Dinner (Chicken with Prosciutto and a Lemon Wine Sauce)
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped in to 1/2" pieces
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and sliced thin or cubed
Salt and Pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons flour
1 cup dry white wine (for a more authentic "Mudega" profile, use Maderia, but I prefer drier wines in pasta dishes)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
12 ounces thin spaghetti, broken in half
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup Provel cheese (or a combination of White American and Mozzarella if you are not in the St. Louis area and don't have access to Provel)

Directions:
Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.; Add prosciutto and cook until crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs and set aside on a paper towel-lined.
plate.

Heat remaining olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer and cook without moving for about 1 minute to brown. Stir the chicken and continue to cook until cooked through, about 2-4 minutes depending how thickly you sliced or cubed your chicken. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.

Add onion to the skillet with the fat from the meats and oil still in it. Cook over medium heat about 8 minutes until softened and transluscent. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in wine and simmer about a minute until thickend.

Stir in broth, water and pasta. Increase heat to medium-high and cook at a high simmer for about 12-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the pasta is tender.

Transfer the entire contents of the chicken bowl, including juices, to the skillet, along with butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, cheese and half of the prosciutto. Stir well to incorporate everything and melt the cheese. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper as desired. Top individual portions with remaining prosciutto.

Source: Heavily adapted from The Pasta Revolution by the editors of America's Test Kitchen