Easy Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is one of those powerfully flavored meals. You know the ones that seem daunting and unattainable until you actually compose it. That is when you realize this remarkable dish with its wonderful layering of flavors is really quite easy to make. For those of you who are beginners in the kitchen and are looking for a meal to make for your loved ones or guests this is a great pick!

Piccata is the name for this particular method of cooking; it is when the meat is sliced, coated, sautéed and served with a sauce. It is all about the preparation of the food. Originally from Italy this dish was served with veal rather than the U.S. favored chicken. This is such a great dish, once you get the preparation and technique down, you can change it up and use many different types of food to carry this to the table, such as polenta, fish, tofu or seitan (which is wheat gluten and preferred by vegetarians or vegans).

I serve this with thin spaghetti; traditionally it is served with some sort of pasta here in the States. In Italy it was actually served after the past dish..

If you are using pasta ~ start it now, watch so it does not overcook. Overcooking pasta does more than make it squishy and unpalatable. It becomes starchier when it’s overcooked.

You will need the following for this recipe;

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

4 chicken cutlets, about 1/4-inch thick

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons white wine

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons salt-packed capers (honestly I use a lot more, but if you are not a fan of the briny taste start with just 2)

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley ( i love using fresh herbs in my dishes and I don’t skimp)

Shredded fresh parmesan cheese

Spread flour in a shallow dish; season the chicken with the salt, pepper and chili powder, dredge in the flour turning to coat thoroughly, then tap off excess.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan (the cutlets should fit snugly in a single layer) until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes for each side. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the cutlet. Transfer the chicken to a platter.

Return pan to medium heat add the capers smashing some to let out the fantastic briny essence into the pan before we deglaze. Now we shall add wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Deglazing the pan adds a ton of flavor to the sauce. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Remove pan from heat.

Add lemon juice, and butter and swirl until melted and combined, then add parsley and season with salt as desired. I put the chicken back in to get it coated really well in the sauce before plating.

Serve over your pasta, and sprinkle with a bit of shredded parmesan cheese. YUMMY

I hope you enjoyed the recipe and that you will continue to come back for more. Should you want to reach me you can do so by emailing me at lauralovinglife@Hotmail.com