Everyone’s Favorite Chicken Piccata
My oldest sister will probably hate me for saying this, but it’s only because it’s true! She’s one of those really picky eaters who hates everything. A perfectly cooked risotto? It’s too “oniony” she’ll say. A beautifully prepared Coq au Vin, a true masterpiece of French cooking? It was “okay”, she’ll retort. Any amount of pepper on food? Forget about it. Fish of any kind? She’d rather starve. There’s no pleasing her when it comes to food. The irony of it all is that when we were kids she loved saying “you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit!”, even though the only one ever throwing a fit about food was her. Decades later and not much has changed.
But there is one dish that even she cannot deny is perfectly delicious and that is Chicken Piccata. It’s hard not to love a breaded chicken breast doused in a buttery lemon sauce - in fact, that’s my theory of why she likes it, it’s almost a chicken strip. Of course, she hates capers (I know, I know…) so she picks those out, but aside from that I think she’d agree that Chicken Picaata is everyone’s favorite.
Chicken Piccata (serves 4)
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, butterflied (split)
1 cup flour
1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon water
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 large lemons), juiced and rinds reserved
1/2 cup dry white vermouth, or dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 to 2 tablespoons of capers, rinsed
Coarsely chopped parsley for serving
For the sauce thickener
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon corn starch
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Butterfly the chicken breasts by placing your hand on top of it to apply pressure and using a sharp knife cut through the breast, keeping as center a line as possible as you cut through. Place the breasts between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out (use a rolling pin or a skillet) until the breasts are about 1/4 in thick. Season with a few grinds of salt and pepper, set aside.
2. Mix the flour with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper on a plate. On another plate, beat the eggs with the water. On a third plate, measure out the Italian bread crumbs. Beginning with the flour, coat each chicken breast and shake off any excess. Dip in the egg mixture, and then dip in the Italian bread crumbs. Set aside on a plate, and repeat the process for each chicken breast.
3. In a large skillet big enough to hold at least two of the breasts, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the olive oil is hot and shimmering but not smoking, sear the chicken breast on each side for 4 minutes. Remove the chicken to a sheet pan or other type of baking dish. You might need to work in batches, doing two at a time. If the pan seems dry, add extra olive oil. When all the chicken breasts have had their turn cooking in the pan, bake in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
4. While the chicken is in the oven, make the sauce. Wipe out the pan (no need to rinse it). Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in the same pan over medium heat. When the foam from the butter begins to subside, add the shallot and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, vermouth or wine, chicken stock, and the lemon rinds. Boil down for about 4 - 5 minutes or long enough to boil off the alcohol. Remove from the heat and add the capers and stir in the sauce thickener. Place back on the stove and bring to a simmer, the sauce should immediately begin to thicken, about a minute or two. Remove again from heat and swirl in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.
5. Plate the chicken once it’s finished in the oven. Pour sauce of each breast and sprinkle on some of the chopped parsley. Garnish with extra lemon slices. This dish is served best with roasted or mashed potatoes, and a salad with vinaigrette dressing.
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter
White Pepper
Instructions:
1. Peel and cut potatoes into chunks. Put potatoes in a pot and add enough cold water to cover potatoes by an inch. Add salt (this may seem like a lot but trust me on this). Bring to the boil and cook for approximately 25 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Reserve 1 cup of the potato water and drain the rest. Add 1/2 cup of the water back into the potatoes along with the stick of butter. Using a potato masher, fork, or electric mixer, smash and stir potatoes adding more water as needed for desired consistency. I prefer to leave mine smooth but with small potato chunks.