Maria's Lightened Chicken Piccata

Published:  10/09/2017

Served with Miso Brown and Wild Rice Pilaf, sautéed peppers and mushrooms.

This is a reduced fat version of a classic favorite Chicken 'al limone'. It is traditionally served with pasta, polenta or rice. I like to serve it with a whole grain rice.

It is full of flavor and so special you will want to make this for your next dinner party. In that case, use two large skillets, have all the ingredients prepped ahead, side dishes ready to go and the dinner table set for your dinner party so that you can whip this up at the last minute as your guests are enjoying their appetizers.

This large 14 inch skillet gives more room for the chicken to sauté. I have two of them so I can make this Chicken Piccata for dinner guests.

I like to serve it with the recipe here on my site Miso Brown and Wild Rice or a brown rice medley (Trader Joe's has one I like) or this one Lundberg Wild Blend  or RiceSelect Royal Blend Whole Grain and asparagus, broccoli or as shown here, delicata squash. 

Mushrooms make a nice addition. If you'd like, add sliced crimini mushrooms when you return the chicken to the pan the last 5 minutes.

Serves 4

• 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Flour, for dredging
• 2 + 1 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 + 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (You may need 1/3 cup so have a bit reserved)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock (You may need a couple more tablespoons so have some reserved)
• 1/4 cup brined jarred capers, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

If you do not have this juicer you need it! Beautifully engineered, easy to use, gets every last drop and easy to clean. I appreciate it when I am making my favorite make-ahead pitcher cocktail Ina Garten's Pomegranate Cosmopolitans for a crowd.

Directions
Start by prepping all the ingredients and having them handy. Cut chicken as if you were going to butterfly it but cut in half, i.e., butterflied to make 4 pieces. Pound the chicken to flatten so that each piece is fairly even thickness. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place about a half cup of flour in a pie pan or plate and then dredge chicken in flour to coat with flour and shake off excess.

This handy tool is used to pound meat into uniform thickness, allowing meat to cook evenly. This particular one was recommended to me when I took an American Test Kitchen Cooking class and learned how to make Chicken Saltimbocca.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil.

When butter and oil start to sizzle, add chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to a plate. The chicken doesn't have to be completely cooked at this point.

Remove chicken to a plate.

Add the lemon juice, chicken stock and capers into the pan. Return to the stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Let simmer for awhile so the sauce thickens a bit. It will thicken more in the last step. Taste to check for seasoning. You may have to add a little more lemon if its not lemony enough or a bit more stock if it is too sour.

Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.