Chicken Picatta

I finally made a dish that I have been wanting to try for a while.  The best part of Chicken Piccata is that it is simple to make as well as cheap!  I used a combination of recipes by Giada De Laurentiis, Rachael Ray, and Warren Caterson.  This turned out to be delicious and it has opened my eyes up to a whole new variety of recipes.  I made extra sauce to serve this over linguine noodles with a side of creamed spinach.  I recommend this to everyone!  Warren Caterson's cookbook Table for Two can be ordered here.  (And yes I know it's misspelled - lol!)

Chicken Piccata

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and cut in half

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, pinch of cayenne pepper

All purpose flour, for dredging

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons capers, drained

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup parsley

• Season chicken with salt, pepper, and pinch of cayenne pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
• In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add half of the pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other half of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, the garlic, shallots, and capers to the skillet. Saute garlic, shallots, and capers for 3 minutes.
• Whisk in wine and reduce liquid 1 minute. Whisk lemon juice and broth into sauce.  Stir in parsley.  When the liquid comes to a bubble, add remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the sauce to give it a little shine. Add chicken back to the pan and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Place chicken over bed of pasta and drizzle with the delicious sauce.  Top with parsley and enjoy!

After making this, I will now be keeping capers on hand and experimenting with them.  The flavors of this dish match each other perfectly!