Chicken Piccata

It seems only fitting to me that I got this Giada recipe off of Lauren's blog. I associate chicken piccata with her, since it was one of the dishes we made the first time we attended Super Suppers together and the first time Joe and I had chicken piccata. As Joe and I were eating our Super Supper chicken piccata, he commented on how much he liked it and I assured him it was easy to recreate and I would make it for him soon. Well, I guess soon is a relative term, since that conversation took place a year ago! So when I saw this recipe on Lauren's blog I figured it was finally time to make the dish. I only wish I'd made it sooner! This chicken is delicious and no trouble at all to whip up. I'm pretty sure I won't be waiting a year to make this again.

I served this with some whole wheat spaghetti tossed with olive oil, garlic, Parmesan and Italian seasonings and roasted broccoli. I've come to the conclusion recently that all vegetables taste better roasted! I just sprayed the broccoli with some cooking spray, sprinkled on salt, pepper and garlic powder and roasted in the oven for about 20 minutes at 375. Delicious!

Chicken Piccata

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved crosswise
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
all-purpose flour, for dredging
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons EVOO
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (approx 2 lemons)
1/4 cup drained capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I omitted)

Season the chicken with the salt/pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour to coat lightly.

In a large saute pan, melt 2 tbsp of the butter with the 2 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 3 minutes per side (I did mine a bit longer because, as per usual, I forgot to pound it!). Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add the broth, lemon juice, and capers to the same pan and bring to a boil, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan.

Return the chicken and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a platter, and whisk the 2 remaining tbsp's of butter into the sauce. (I didn't add this butter, I didn't think it needed it!) Pour the sauce over the chicken, garnish with parsley, and serve.