Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata, an immigrant Italian-American recipe, is one of those old fashioned dishes which is normally found in Italian restaurants in America or at least what I’ve seen. Basically chicken breast is tenderized into thin scaloppine,that is dredged in flour and pan fried, then topped with a reduction of lemony-caper-shallot-buttery pan sauce.

To be honest, as simple as it is there’s something very comforting about this recipe. I mean what’s not to love about a lemony, briny, butter sauce!? It makes a boring weeknight special. I love to serve it with a simple side of roast cauliflower, or broccoli and sautéed spinach. Delicious isn’t it

Here’s how it goes.

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders
• ½-1 cup all purpose flour
• 2-3 tablespoons e.v olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• sea salt as needed
• freshly cracked black pepper
• 3 large cloves garlic minced
• 2-3 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons capers, drained
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 ½ cups chicken stock
• juice and zest from one lemon, about 1 tablespoon zest and 3 tablespoons juice
• parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Slice each chicken breast horizontally to butterfly them and divide them into two pieces. This helps them cook faster without drying out.
2. Season the chicken generously with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper on both sides. Place the flour on a flat dish or plate. Dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off any excess. Discard the flour when finished dredging all the pieces. 
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high until the oil has warmed. 
4. Working in batches, without overlapping or crowding the pan, add the chicken pieces and allow to cook undisturbed until golden brown, about 2 ½ – 3 minutes per side, the chicken should be cooked through (this will also depend on the thickness of the pieces). Set the chicken aside on a clean plate when they finish cooking.
5. Add more olive oil if needed and cook the remainder of the chicken pieces.
6. Add butter to the pan drippings and warm till the butter has melted, you may also add a little oil to prevent burning.
7. Add the sliced shallots and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garlic and saute for another 1 minute.
8. Add the stock and continue to simmer until reduced by half, about 4-5 minutes. Lower the heat stir in a little bit more butter about 1 tablespoon butter, capers, lemon juice, and zest to taste. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Place the chicken in the pan sauce and spoon the sauce over the chicken pieces, heat through.
9. Garnish with parsley. Serve the chicken with grilled vegetables, simple pasta, rice or fresh green salad.