Chicken Piccata

chicken piccata

It's day 3 of following eGullet's project to cook for a week from ingredients in your home without going shopping. For this recipe I defrosted two chicken breast halves over last night. And with a jar of capers from the pantry, I thought I'd make a simple chicken piccata. I chose to use one of my favorite flours, Wondra. It gives such a unique coating to meats when pan fried. It's usually used for making gravies because it dissolves instantly without forming lumps, but as the name implies, it works wonders on just about anything.

To serve with this quick meal, I had a bunch of white asparagus I bought last week. I know they're not in season in the Northeast, but at least they were from California. And they were on sale too. The spears of asparagus, steamed just until tender but with a little crunch, nicely complement the pan-fried chicken. If cooked just right, the breasts should be crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Make sure you let the breasts rest, like with any meat, so that the internal juices redistribute. This recipe is easy to do and so rewarding at the table.

Chicken Piccata

2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Wondra flour
6 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

Remove the breast tenders and reserve for another dish. Pound the chicken breasts between parchment paper to 1/2-inch thick. Season with salt and pepper and coat with flour.

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium high. Add 3 tablespoons oil and chicken breasts; cook for 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pan and let rest.

Wipe out pan. Allow it to reheat on medium. Add butter and the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Add garlic and capers. Saute until the garlic starts to take on color but not burn. Immediately pour sauce on top of chicken breasts. Yield: 2 servings.

Comments

  1. Pretty! Hmm, maybe you should go into food photography...

    k10

    ReplyDelete
  2. so i finally made this last night but my sauce came out SUPER thin and oily. i threw some flour in, trying to thicken it up a bit but that didnt work. any suggestions??

    pluto

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  3. Dear Pluto,

    With this recipe, the sauce is just as simple as that: oil, garlic, and capers. It's a simple, modern take on the traditional chicken piccata.

    If you want the traditional, sauté the garlic in oil; then add capers, chicken stock, and lemon juice. Reduce by half; then stir in butter.

    Throwing flour into oil just makes a roux, which is a base for soups and stews.

    Thanks for your question.

    ReplyDelete

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