This is a super simple weeknight meal that I whip up a few times a month. I always have capers, a lemon, some butter and one of those small bottles of Glen Ellen Chardonnay (strictly for cooking and not drinking!) in the fridge which makes this a snap. I also like to keep a jar of Better than Bouillon chicken stock base on hand. I cannot say enough about this product. It eliminates the need to open a can or box of chicken broth every time you need a small amount for a recipe, the rest of which will inevitably be thrown out or else go bad. Better than Bouillon is just a super concentrated stock that keeps forever in the fridge. Just add a teaspoon to a cup of hot water to get a cup of stock. I usually add a teaspoon of the chicken or vegetable base to the boiling water when I make rice or couscous to seriously boost the flavor. Anyway, it is a great staple to have in the fridge for concocting any number of simple pan sauces for poultry or meat, like this recipe. If you want to serve this dish over pasta or rice, you may want to double the amount of liquid in the sauce as this will make just enough to coat all the chicken. If you want a thicker sauce, try coating the chicken with flour before browning it.
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Quick Chicken Piccata Ingredients: 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 1/4 cup chicken stock 1/4 white wine 1 lemon 2 tablespoons capers 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons olive oil fresh chopped parley, optional salt and pepper Instructions: Cut each chicken breast in half cross-wise by laying it on a cutting board and slicing through horizontally so you end up with 4 thin cutlets. Lay each cutlet on the cutting board and cover with a sheet of saran wrap. Pound the cutlets with a meat tenderizer until they are approximately 1/4" thick. Season with salt and pepper. Cut a lemon in half. Juice one half and cut four thin, round slices out of the other half. Remove the seeds and set aside the slices and the juice for the sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet until hot over medium high heat. Add the chicken breast and cook until lightly browned and cooked through on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm on a plate covered with foil. Turn the heat up to high and add the white wine, chicken stock, lemon juice, lemon slices and capers. Scrape up any of the brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce boil and reduce by half, about 5-7 minutes. When the sauce is reduced, lower the heat to low and add the butter. Swirl to incorporate it completely. Add the chicken back to the pan to coat with the sauce and warm through. Put two cutlets on each plate and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serves 2. |
Hey Cucumber Cups! How are ya? Homemade sopressata is now on Johnnychefcoat.com, check it out.
Also I need to get you your shirt! Lunch soon?
Posted by: Johnny Chefcoat | September 17, 2009 at 12:58 PM