You’ve probably heard of “chicken piccata,” which is a pan-fried chicken cutlet topped with a lemon-butter piccata sauce. BUT! Chicken piccata as we know it does not appear to have originated in Italy. It’s most likely an Italian-American creation, a variation on a couple of classic Italian cooking techniques, such as scaloppine, which means “thin slices of meat (such as veal) sautéed or coated with flour and fried.” A lemon and butter pan sauce is a traditional way to dress pan-fried meat in Italy, but the (ingenious) addition of capers cannot be attributed to any particular place or time. Chicken piccata, however and whenever it was created, is, in our opinion, a very welcome addition to any home cook’s repertoire.
Tools required:
You’ll Need the Following Tools:
>A large skillet
>Several dredging bowls
>A large, sharp knife for filleting the chicken and cutting it into cutlets.
Ingredients:
Here’s what you’ll need to make chicken piccata:
>Boneless chicken breasts >Salt & pepper >Flour for dredging >Butter >Olive oil >Chicken stock >Shallots >Garlic >Lemons >Capers
How to Make Chicken Piccata Part 1st: The Pan-Fry:
Slice the chicken breasts horizontally — a sharp knife is required for this! The chicken breast should be cut into thin slices so that it cooks evenly during the pan-frying process. Because the chicken is thin, it will be cooked through when the outside is crispy and perfectly brown. Season the chicken breast pieces before coating them in flour. For whatever reason, children enjoy assisting with this step. If they’re old enough to understand the dangers of handling raw poultry, delegate this step to them. Cook the chicken cutlets in a pan with olive oil and butter. The oil — regular light olive oil, not extra virgin — keeps the butter from burning, and we love the flavor of both.
How to Make Chicken Piccata Part 2: The Piccata Sauce:
Our piccata sauce is simply a pan sauce, which means we make it with the crispy, chicken-tinged buttery bits left in the skillet after frying the chicken cutlets. This lemony piccata sauce is easy to make:
>Sauté shallots and garlic in pan drippings (remaining oil and butter).
>Include stock! Allow to reduce for a few minutes.
>Add more butter, as well as the capers and lemon juice.
>Season with salt and pepper to taste.
>That’s all! You created a pan sauce!
Amount of ingredients required:
2 lb chicken cutlets, tenders or chicken’s breasts (halved horizontally)
>2 ½ tea spoon salt >½ tea Spoon pepper >1 cup flour for dredging
>10 Tea spoon butter >4 Tea spoon oil, divided >1 shallot, minced
>1 tea spoon garlic, minced >1 1/2 Cup chicken stock >lemon juiced (1 Tea spoon) >2 Tea spoon zest >2 Tea spoon capers, drained
Method:
1. Season the chicken on both sides with 2 teaspoons salt and pepper. On a plate, spread out the flour. Dredge the chicken in flour, shaking off any excess. When finished dredging, discard the flour.
2. Melt 3 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat.
3. Working in batches, add 12 of the chicken and sauté until golden brown, about 2 12–3 minutes per side, until cooked through. When the chicken is done cooking, place it on a plate.
4. Finish cooking the second batch of chicken with 3 tablespoons more butter and 2 tablespoons more olive oil.
5. Add the shallot to the pan drippings and cook for 1 minute, or until soft and fragrant. Cook for 1 minute more after adding the garlic.
6. Pour in the stock and reduce by half, about 4–5 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, capers, lemon juice, and zest to taste. Season with the remaining 12 teaspoon salt. If using, garnish with parsley.
8. Serve the chicken with the piccata sauce poured over the top, along with your favourite pasta or salad.
Nutrition facts:
>CALORIES 457
>PROTEIN 27 grams
>CARBOHYDRATES 19 grams
>TOTAL FAT 30 grams
>DIETARY FIBER 2 grams
>CHOLESTEROL 109 milli grams
>SODIUM 536 Milli grams
>TOTAL SUGARS 2 grams
