Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis
Chicken Piccata is a delicious chicken dish that is easy to make on a weeknight after a long day of work. Follow these steps to make Chicken Piccata on your own or for company! First, get two chicken breasts. If they have skin, make sure to take off the skin. Cut them in a butterfly style (giving you four pieces total), and then season the chicken with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Just a light sprinkle of each seasoning is enough. Then, let the chicken rest on a clean plate while you go to your cupboard and get some flour. Pour some flour into a dish, and then take the chicken and cover the chicken on all sides with the flour. Shake off the excess flour from the chicken and set it aside. Repeat with all of the chicken breasts.
Meanwhile, the next thing to do is to get out your pan that you will use to cook the chicken. Also get out some butter and olive oil. Put the pan on the stove and turn on the heat! As the pan warms up, get two tablespoons of butter and three tablespoons of olive oil. Put them in the pan to melt and heat up. When the butter and olive oil are very hot, place the chicken in the pan to cook. Cook the chicken for about five minutes until it is browned, and then turn it over to cook and brown on the other side. After the chicken is nicely browned, you’ll need to transfer it out of the pan to a clean plate while you cook more of the chicken you prepared in flour. Add two more tablespoons of butter and another two tablespoons of oil to the pan. Add more chicken to the pan and cook these pieces of chicken the same as you did the previous pieces. When these pieces are done, add them to the plate containing the other pieces of chicken.
One the chicken is cooked, the last step is to prepare the lemony caper sauce for the chicken. To do this, you’ll need to add a third of a cup of fresh lemon juice and one-half cup of chicken broth to the butter and olive oil already in the pan. If you like, you can also add in 1/4 cup brined capers. These are like little olives or peas, but if you don’t like them, leave them out — the Chicken Piccata will still taste delicious! Let the mixture in the pan heat up, and stir the concoction occasionally to get the cooked bits at the bottom of the pan mixed up in your sauce. It will add to the overall flavor. Remember the chicken resting on the plate? Put it back into the pan now, and make sure to coat the chicken with your zesty sauce. Let the chicken sauteé in the pan for about five more minutes or until totally cooked. The last step is to take it out of the pan, now that it is cooked, pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley, and serve it with one of your favorite side dishes.
You’ll love Chicken Piccata, especially if you like foods with a hint of lemon. Not only is the chicken tender and delicious, you’ll also feel good knowing you’re eating something that is healthy for you. Stay in tonight — and make Chicken Piccata!