Chicken Piccata

Italian dishes are often full of deep, vibrant flavors. Piccata is a dish from the Lombardy area of France, in the North. It features the citrus flavor of lemon in a buttery sauce, and capers. Though there are of course many versions of it, I opted for a version with white wine, though next time, I think the Dijon version will be in order.

The term piccata means to pierce or prick, referring to the tenderizing technique. Piccata was originally made with veal, though the dish evolved to be chicken-centric. It's also common in Germany, which makes sense, this the breaded chicken is reminiscent of schnitzel. There, it is often served with spaetzle.

The dish features capers, which on their own, I'm not the biggest fan of. Like olives, they are salty. I know some people swear by both of these for snacking, but for me, they are best in a dish where they contribute to a larger flavor goal. Capers grow on capparis spinosa, a bush that is native to the Mediterranean and Asia. 

To start, I fileted the chicken, cutting it in half horizontally to create thinner slices. I then tenderized it. The easiest way to do this is to lay the chicken on plastic wrap on the counter, cover with another layer of plastic wrap, and use a tenderizer to hit the chicken, thinning it out and breaking up the fibers. After this, I just lightly salted and peppered each piece and dredged the chicken in flour to create a light coating. In the mean time, I heated some oil to high in a heavy bottomed pan (in my case, a large cast iron skillet) and added the chicken.

Because of the high heat, browning both sides of the thin pieces didn't take long - about 2-3 minutes per side. The chicken turned a light golden brown and I removed it from the heat. 

Next, I added chicken broth, white wine, and lemon juice to the pan and heated until it began to simmer. I stirred it occasionally and continued cooking for about 5 minutes, until it had reduced about 25%. Then, I slowly stirred in the butter, reducing the heat to low. I had no issues with this step, but I should note that the original recipe I used noted that if the sauce starts to break, add some water and whisk. The last step was to add the capers, stirring until they were warmed, and then bam! Chicken can be returned to the pan before serving time.

I have to say, though not a crazy capers fan, this dish was really good.

I absolutely loved the lemon sauce! It was perfect with the pasta.

The chicken was tender and flavorful, too.

This one is definitely a good weeknight meal; it's not extensive, not too time consuming, and has a light flavor.

Chicken Piccata Recipe

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cooking oil (I used avocado)

6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

Juice of 1 lemon

1 (3.5-oz.) jar capers, rinsed

Cooked pasta

Instructions:

Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet to medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup cooking oil. Filet chicken breasts, cutting parallel to the work surface to thin. Lay down a sheet of plastic wrap, add one of the pieces of chicken, then top with another piece of plastic wrap. Use a meat tenderizer to pound the chicken until about 1/4" thick. Repeat with remaining pieces, seasoning both sides with salt and pepper. Add flour to a plate, then dredge each piece of chicken in the flour. Add 2-3 pieces of chicken to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes per   side, until golden brown. Set aside on a plate and repeat with remaining chicken. In the same skillet over high heat, add wine, broth, and lemon juice and heat to a boil. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until  reduced by about 25%. Reduce heat to low and add butter, one piece at a time, whisking between addition, until butter is fully incorporated. Return chicken to pan and add capers. Heat to a simmer, then serve with pasta.

adapted from chicken piccata