enlightened chicken piccata

Chicken Piccata is like a bolognese without the indignant history in that nostalgia, not objectivity, shapes the way you make it. If your memory was formed by Olive Garden, yours will include cream sauce. The thought of lemons and cream makes my teeth feel furry, so it took awhile to find a Piccata rendition suitable for me, and then five tries or so to tweak the rendition into something to write home about. This one features double capers, double lemon, a significant amount of parsley, and lots of brothy wine-y sauce to spoon lovingly over your carb or carb alternative of choice.

I like a lot of capers, ok?

Ideal use case: a low-key weeknight where you realize you’ve been sitting all week like a vulture in your desk chair and need to engage your brain in something other than Outlook, where you want to limit your pan washing because you’re beat but not enough to pick up fried chicken and call it a day but still want a change of scenery and therefore need to eat something worthy of lighting the dinner candles.

RECIPE

Traditional chicken piccata is simpler and lighter than you think. Chicken cutlets are dredged in flour and lightly pan-fried before taking a swim in a buttery white wine lemon garlic sauce studded with briny capers. Serve over pasta, pasta subs, or with wilted greens.

For the chicken:

  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast

  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour

  • 2 tbsp. butter

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil

  • Salt and pepper

For the piccata:

  • 1 tbsp butter

  • 1 small shallot, finely chopped (1 “clove” if it’s a larger one)

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/2 cup chicken broth

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine, I used a really old Sauvignon Blanc

  • 2 lemons, juiced

  • 2 tbsp capers, lightly rinsed

  • 1/2 tsp. dried parsley, chopped

  • Salt and pepper to taste

make it

  1. Prep chicken cutlets. Cut the chicken in half horizontally to create thin breasts. Salt and pepper the chicken. Pour flour into a small dish or bowl, and dredge the chicken on both sides.

  2. Cook the chicken. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil and heat until melted and foamy. Lay chicken breast halves into the foamy butter carefully. Cook the chicken, 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Move to a plate and repeat with any remaining chicken.

  3. Prep your remaining ingredients. While the chicken cooks, chop the shallot and mince the garlic. Chop your parsley. In a small measuring cup, mix the squeezed lemon juice, chicken broth, and white wine.

  4. Build the flavor base. Once all the chicken is done, lower the heat to medium-low. Add the other 2 tbsp of butter and melt. Then add 2 tbsp of flour, and whisk (I use my closed tongs to do this) until the flour-butter is golden. Add the shallots and cook 1 minute, then add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.

  5. Simmer the sauce. Once the garlic is fragrant, add the measuring cup of liquids and quickly deglaze, scraping up your chicken dredges. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and reduce for 7 minutes or until thickened.

  6. Finish the sauce. Add the parsley and capers; stir it up. Then tuck in the chicken and simmer another 3 minutes to heat through.

  7. Serve it up. Chicken piccata is traditionally served over a starch. For me on aThursday, that’s hearts of palm angel hair; for me on a weekend, perhaps real angel hair.

meats, chickenA @ italian enoughtraditional, italian-american, essential, healthyish, one pot, enlightened1 Comment