Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Recipe of the Week: Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is a wonderfully tasty, yet easy dish to prepare. I often feature this dish as a premade special and my family gets jealous of my customers. Last week I decided to make a batch for my kids and they were so excited. My youngest ate every bite!


The first step was to take a chicken breast and remove any fat and  little extra flaps of meat.



Next, I butterflied the chicken breast by inserting the knife into the side of the chicken breast and cutting through and fold it open.



After unfolding the chicken breast, I cut it in half.


I dredged the chicken in flour seasoned with salt.


And then pan fried it in a mix of butter and olive oil.



The chicken was cooked for around 4 minutes on each side, until browned.


Chicken and lemon juice was added to the pan and the crusty browned bit were scraped off the bottom.
The capers and chicken were added back into the pan and allowed to simmer until the sauce reduced and  chicken finished cooking.

It was so yummy and definitely a family favorite.



Chicken Piccata


Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients
4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup brined capers, rinsed
2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

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