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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Chicken Piccata

Years ago, I used to make Chicken Piccata at least once a week for dinner.  It was my absolute favorite dish, partly because it was a super easy and fast meal to put together when I was short on time, and also because I just loved the flavor.  The lemon and white wine sauce combined with sauteed onions and garlic is a match made in culinary heaven.  The finishing touch was a spoonful of baby peas sprinkled around the edge of the dish.


The reason I say years ago is that this was the first meal I cooked for my then-future husband. But as it turned out, he didn't like it!  Crushed and offended, I wondered if I would be able to transform his beer and Molinari's-pizza-and-wings taste buds and bring him into the world of grown up foods.  Fortunately, for him and for me, he did like the next meal I prepared, and the ones after that were well received, too, so I decided to keep him anyway.  Even though he didn't like my Chicken Piccata...sigh.

So here we are, 17 years later and I finally decided it was time for Chicken Piccata to again make an appearance on the menu.  Not only did my husband approve, but the meal received a thumbs up from the kids, too.  It was well worth the wait!

2  Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts, butterflied into 4 thin fillets
3/4 cup  Flour
1 tsp  Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp  Ground Black Pepper
4 TB  Butter
2 TB  Olive Oil
1 TB  Minced Fresh Garlic
1 medium Onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup  Lemon Juice
1/2 cup  Chicken Stock
2 TB  Capers
Cooked Pasta

For this dish you will need thin slices of chicken breast.  To do this lie the chicken flat on a cutting board and use a very sharp knife to carefully slice horizontally through the middle of the chicken, so you have 4 thin fillets.

In a shallow plate combine the flour, salt and pepper and very lightly dredge the chicken fillets.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and saute for about 3 minutes or until tender.  Remove the onions to a platter and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan.  Once the butter is melted and begins to sizzle, add the chicken fillets to the skillet and cook for 3 - 4 minutes or until lightly browned, then turn over and cook for another 3 - 4 minutes.  Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add the lemon juice, stock and capers to the pan, stirring to loosen any browned bits, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Test the sauce to see if you need a bit more salt.  (Usually I add about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt at this point.)

Return the chicken pieces and onion to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove the chicken and onions to a platter and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter is melted and combined, then pour the sauce over the chicken.  Top with a sprinkle of parsley and serve over cooked pasta with a side of baby peas.  Enjoy!!

4 comments:

  1. One of my favorite dishes to prepare. You can't get any better than husband and kid approved.

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  2. You are so right Karen! This dish was worth the long wait. It was just as good as I remembered.

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  3. This dish looks and sounds absolutely amazing. Can't wait to try it, thanks for sharing!

    Sincerely,Happy Valley Chow

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  4. Mary ~ HowDoYouCook.comJanuary 30, 2013 at 8:59 AM

    Such a delicious dish and super easy to prepare! Thanks for visiting.

    ReplyDelete

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