Poultry

Easy chicken piccata with lemon and caper sauce

I made this again last night and was reminded of the tangy, clean flavors. We had it with green beans tossed in lemon, olive oil and garlic, but it’s also lovely over pasta with the lemony caper sauce coating the pasta.

Serves 4

4 organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/2″ thickness
salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed
All- purpose flour for dredging
4 – 6 tbsp olive oil
2 heaped tbsp capers, drained. For a more intense flavor, try mincing half of the capers, leaving the rest whole
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (squeeze 1/2 cup incase you need more)
1/2 cup chicken broth
6 tbsp cold diced butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

After pounding the chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thickness, season them generously with salt and pepper.
Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour until completely covered, shaking off the excess.

Add the olive oil to a large skillet and place over medium high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook for about 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and just cooked through. Put the chicken on a warm plate, cover loosely with aluminum foil and keep warm.

Add the capers and wine to the skillet. Turn the heat up to high and boil for  2 to 3 minutes or until the wine has reduced by half. Be sure to use a spatula or spoon to scrape up all the bits stuck on the bottom of the pan as this is where a lot of the flavor is.

Add the lemon juice and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, reduce the heat to low and add the chicken back to the pan.  Toss the chicken in the sauce for a few minutes until heated through. Remove the chicken to a warmed serving platter.

Add the diced cold butter and chopped parsley to the skillet and whisk for 1 minute or until the butter emulsifies into the sauce. Check the seasoning and spoon the hot sauce over the chicken.
Decorate with lemon slices if you like, or just some more parsley and serve immediately