Chicken Piccata

Last night I had a date with Amazing Friend. For Christmas I purchased her a ticket to see River North Dance Chicago when the company visited town this week. I bought a ticket for myself as well of course. I knew she would enjoy the show and I was excited to share such a fun night with her. I invited her over for dinner before we went so I knew I had to make something special.  This dish is perfect for special occasions when you want to make something fancy but you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen doing it.

It is safe to say that I have been making this dish since high school. Not always this recipe, but there really aren’t too many variations. The recipe I used in high school had white wine in it, so I felt very very fancy whenever I would make it. Over the years this became something I would make when I wanted to leave an impression. The flavors are very intense but the dish is very light. While it could easily be paired with pasta I have found that mashed potatoes make a lovely side. The sauce from the chicken is amazing on mashed potatoes.

One of the tricks to making this a good dish is to get the breading on the chicken right. I have ordered this in restaurants and I found myself bitterly disappointed. Many restaurants want to make the breading heavy and that just doesn’t work with such a light sauce. Just a quick dredge in the flour is enough breading. The mix of butter and olive give the light breading a lovely color and just enough of a crunch.

I am not a big fan of capers. I used to love them, but over the years the briny flavor just hasn’t appealed to me. I still leave them in the recipe because I think they add a dash of flavor that I like, but there is always a little pile of capers on the side of my plate at the end of dinner. I haven’t grown out of that “trash pile” habit from when I was little.

In case you were wondering - the show was amazing! If the opportunity ever arises to see them again, I would do it in a heartbeat. They are a jazz/modern dance company. There was a great mix of music, but my favorites were So What by Mile Davis, a selection from Cirque and the Music of Cuba. I had been lucky enough to spend some time with the company while they were in town and I peeked in on part of a rehearsal. Such a talented group of dancers!

Enjoy!

4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half

¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ cup flour, for dredging
4 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
½ cup chicken stock
¼ cup brined capers, rinsed
 
On a plate, mix together flour, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt two tablespoons of butter and the olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add two pieces of chicken and cook for three minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for three minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Mix lemon juice, stock and capers in the hot pan and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for five minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

Adapted from Everyday Italian – Giada DeLaurentiis