Wanna Piccata?

Yes, this title is a rip off of the ever-popular Wendy’s commercial, but I figured it was good enough for my first, real non-dessert post. If you’ve been following my posts from the very beginning, then you’ll know that I used to work in the catering industry (as did my roommate, The Food Scientist). Back in those days, my main jobs were focused on appetizers and desserts, so I’m much more accustomed to making small plates. However, consistent with the rest of my SASE-related experiences, I figured I would step out of my comfort zone and try my hand at some real cooking with a simple entrée known as “Lemon Chicken Piccata.”

The word “piccata” refers to a food preparation method. The meat is sliced, coated, and sautéed before being topped with a sauce. I believe that veal is typically used in European countries; but here in the States (especially the Southern ones), we like our chicken.

Recipe (adapted from Giada de Laurentiis):

• 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and cut in half
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• Garlic powder
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 5 Tb unsalted butter
• 5 Tb extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• Fresh parsley

Begin by mixing in the salt, pepper and garlic powder with 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. I didn’t actually measure the seasonings I added, so I just kept adding ingredients until it smelled good to me. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour and shake off the excess.

Next, melt 2 Tb of butter with 3 Tb of olive oil. When it starts to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for about 3 minutes per side. Melt another Tb of butter and add 2 Tb of olive oil to the pan and cook the rest of the chicken in the same manner.

For the sauce, add the lemon juice, wine and chicken broth in the same pan you cooked the chicken in, making sure to scrape up some brown bits for extra flavor. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer in the sauce for 5 minutes.

Once the chicken is finished cooking, remove it from the pan. Add the 2 remaining Tb of butter and whisk it in vigorously. Taste the sauce and see if it suits your palate. If not, do a little experimenting by adding some more chicken broth or seasonings to the pan. I personally added a couple cloves of minced garlic and a splash of more chicken broth because it was a bit too lemony for my liking. When I finally deemed it edible, I poured the sauce over the chicken and garnished it with parsley.

Stay tuned for more cooking adventures!

– Chef μChip