Chicken Piccata

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Have y’all ever had one of those days where you were just craving something special for dinner?  That was what my day was like.  For some reason I had been craving Chicken Piccata since I woke up this morning.  I woke up thinking about the lemony sauce I’d make for this chicken dish.  Now Piccata is simply a way of preparing  meat which is sliced, coated, sautéed and served in a sauce. The dish originated in Italy using veal (veal piccata). But here in the good ole USA, the most well-known variant is chicken piccata.

Next to the amazing flavor of the pan sauce, my favorite thing about this dish is how amazingly quick it all comes together.  All you need to do is cook the meat (which cooks really fast since it is thin), add the ingredients for the pan sauce and reduce it.  Not only is this dish easy enough to make on a weeknight but it will also not fail to impress your dinner guests on a night you have company.

Ingredients

• 2 boneless chicken breast cut into cutlets then pounded thin (I prefer to use Springer Mountain Farms chicken)
• Salt & pepper, to your taste
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock
• 1 small shallot – diced small
• 1 clove garlic – diced
• 1/4 cup capers, rinsed thoroughly
• about 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (adjust to your taste)
• Small amount of chopped parsley, for garnish

Preparation

1. Season your chicken cutlets with salt and pepper
2. mix flour and Parmesan cheese in a small flat dish (I use a pie pan)
3. Place chicken into flour/cheese mixture and fully cover chicken, shaking off excess
4. In large skillet over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons of the oil.
5. As soon as butter starts to sizzle, place 2 of your chicken cutlets in the skillet for 3-4 minutes. When chicken is browned, turn and cook for another 3 minutes. Transfer to plate and cover with foil.
6. Now add and  melt 3 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan.
7. As soon as butter is ready, add remaining chicken in to cook both sides again, as you did before. Move these cutlets to the plate and recover with foil.
8. Now add your shallots and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes.  Don’t let the garlic burn.
9. Now add the wine/stock, capers, and lemon juice to the pan and bring to a boil.  Don’t forget to scrape all those beautiful brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  That’s your flavor.
10. Return chicken to skillet once boiling and simmer for 5 minutes
11. Remove chicken, and add 2 tablespoons of butter to your sauce and whisk.  Cook for 1-2 minutes.
12. Pour sauce over chicken, garnish with parsley and enjoy.