Cooktop Cove: Tired of the same boring chicken recipe? Try this simple Italian classic
By Robin Donovan
Why settle for boring chicken when you can make a dish like chicken piccata in minutes with ingredients you probably have in your pantry right now? This is the kind of dish every home cook should know how to make because it is easy, quick, and guaranteed to impress guests. Serv e it over pasta with a side of steamed or sautéed vegetables for a simple weeknight meal or your next dinner party.
Chicken piccata is classic Italian cooking and it is both sophisticated and surprisingly easy to make. Chicken breast fillets are dredged in a seasoned flour mixture and browned in olive oil. A quick pan sauce of broth, wine, and lemon juice and a scattering of capers and parsley finish it off in grand style.
Chicken piccata with lemon sauce
4
5 minutes
10 minutes
25 minutes
4 chicken breast halves, butterflied and pounded to about ½-inch thickness
½ cup plus 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup butter
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup white wine or chicken stock
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup capers
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Combine ½ cup of the flour, Parmesan, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in flour mixture
In a large skillet oil over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the chicken and cook until browned on the first side, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook until browned on the second side and cooked through, about 3 minutes more. Remove the chicken from the pan, transferring it to a platter.
Add the butter to the skillet and when it is melted and bubbling, sprinkle the remaining flour over it. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes.
While whisking continuously, slowly add the broth.
Add the wine, lemon juice, and capers and simmer for about 3 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
Return the chicken to the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more to heat the chicken.
Serve hot, garnished with parsley.
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