Chicken Piccata

1/4 cup flour
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp capers, drained
1 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded

preheat the oven to 250
Remove the tenders from the chicken breasts and put them aside for another use.
Place a chicken breast half in between two pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Gently pound the chicken breast with the smooth side of a mallet, or with a rolling pin, or heavy skillet, till it is 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
Season the breasts with salt and pepper, lightly dip both sides of the breast into the flour and shake off the excess.
Heat 1 Tbsp of butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook till it is golden brown on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn over, cover the skillet and cook until they are cooked through, about 1 to 2 min. Can be done in two batches if necessary.
Transfer the breasts to an oven safe platter, tent them loosely with kitchen foil, and place them in the oven to stay warm.
Add the wine to the skillet and using a spoon or spatula, scrape up the brown bits from the bottom. Let simmer till all but about 1 Tbsp of the wine is evaporated, 1 to 2 min. Add the lemon juice, stock, and capers, and let simmer until the flavors are concentrated, about 1 min.
Add the remaining 2 Tbsp butterand the lemon slices and parsley to the sauce and stir until the butter melts, about 1 min. Remove the chicken breasts from the oven, pour over the sauce and lemon slices, and serve immediately.

This was from Food to Live By. It’s a really good book, it’s in my top favorites list.

This was quite possibly my favorite chicken dish ever. Seriously, this dish rocked my chicken eating world. Try this! Right away!

In addition to being so good that I wanted to eat it every night, it was also really quick and easy to make. It was the first time I ever pounded a chicken breast flat, and that was interesting. I had no idea you could pound it out so big and flat without hurting it. That part took a bit of time, probably more because I have never done it before. The actual cooking took almost no time at all. There is a part about keeping the chicken in a low oven while you make the sauce, and I did do that, but I don’t think it was entirely necessary. The sauce took minutes to make, so unless you have a really cold kitchen there shouldn’t be time for the chicken to get cold. Then again, it’s not as if it’s difficult to do, so why not.

With a dish like this, with such a short cooking time, it’s really important that you have all your ingredients chopped and prepped in advance, then the cooking is a walk in the park.

I will make this over and over and over again. I love it!