Chicken Piccata

This Italian dish illustrates the cooking technique known as panfrying. Boneless, skinless chicken breast are pounded into tender cutlets for even cooking and quickly panfrying. Then a flavorful sauce is preheated in the same pan. I make this with either chicken breasts or veal cutlets, both are wonderful. If you have some cream on hand you can stir it in at the end and create a wonderful cream sauce for a different variation.
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 halves boneless, skinless chicken breast each 8 to 9 oz cut in half horiontally and pounded 1/4 thick
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
  • .5 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 tb olive oil
  • 3 tb unsalted butter
  • 1 tb shallots minced
  • .25 cup dry white wine
  • 3 whole lemon juice fresh
  • .25 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tb capers drained
  • 2 tb parsley minced fresh flat leaf

Instructions

  • Season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a small shallow bowl and dredge the chicken in it . Shake off excess.
  • In the nonstick fry pan over medium high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Place pieces of the chicken in the pan and cook. turning once, until browned on both sides, to minutes per side. Transfer to a platter or individual plates. Warm the remaining 1 Tbs olive oil in the pan and reheat to brown the remaining chicken.
  • Reduce the heat to medium and melt 1 Tbs of the butter in the pan. Add the shallots and cook until softened and golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add the wine, lemon juice and broth, increase the heat to medium high and cook until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 Tbs butter, the caper and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and pass any remaining sauce alongside. Serve immediately