Chicken Piccata, Slimmed Down!
This is one of those dishes that I associate with butter and with the Olive Garden; okay I said it. Honestly though, they have amazing salad and breadsticks, don’t they? Anyway, I was at work one day and I needed inspiration for dinner and it had to be a quick cooking, easy prep dinner because I don’t walk through the door until 7 pm and then I have a baby to get ready for bed (little love!). I came across a variation of this recipe but it had tons of butter and it’s really not necessary. Here is a slimmed down version of a classic; I don’t think you’ll miss the naughty bits here.
Serves 4 – 6
4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and then sliced in half lengthwise
1 Cup whole wheat flour
Salt (about a tsp) plus extra
Pepper (about 1/4 tsp) plus extra
1 tbsp salted butter, divided
1/2 Cup white wine
1 Cup chicken stock
1 Lemon; 1/2 juiced, the other half lemon, sliced
2 tbsp capers, drained
– To butterfly the chicken breasts turn the breasts fillet side up. Using a very sharp knife, slice the thickest part of the breast starting at the middle, near the fillet and working towards the outside. Cut little slits across the breast so you don’t slice the meat off.
– Once the breast is butterflied, slice it in half lengthwise so that it looks like two thin chicken breasts.
– Optional; you can tenderize the breasts using a meat tenderizer but don’t use the spiked sides because that will tear the meat because poultry is more delicate. Also, use a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper between the meat and the tenderizer.
– In a deep plate, pour the flour and season liberally with salt and pepper.
– Dredge the chicken in the flour, shake off the excess; set aside.
– In a large nonstick, over high heat, add a ½ tbsp of the butter to the pan.
– When the pan is hot and the butter is bubbling, add 4 pieces of the dredged chicken to the pan (you’re going to pan fry the chicken in at least two batches).
– Fry the chicken until lightly browned on each side (about 2-3 minutes on the first side and 1-2 minutes on the second) the chicken isn’t going to be cooked through here but that it’s okay.
– Set the fried chicken aside.
– Add the white wine and let the alcohol cook out; boil for about a minute, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any of the flavours (deglazing); the heat should still be on high.
– Add the stock and the lemon juice.
– Return the chicken to the pan and let it sit in the bubbling sauce for 3-5 minutes; until the chicken is cooked through.
– Place the chicken on the serving platter.
– Add the lemon slices and the capers to the pan and let the sauce continue to boil and thicken.
– When the sauce has thickened, taste the sauce and adjust seasoning.
– Place the lemon slices decoratively over the chicken.
– Pour the contents of the pan over the chicken and serve immediately.
Notes:
- If you don’t have any wine on hand then you can use all stock instead.
- Vegetable stock can be used in its place.