Meal 16: Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is one of my favorite meals that my family commonly eats, so of course I had to learn how to make it. And thankfully, through relatively minimal effort and ingredients, one can make this classic Italian (?) dish. I think that this simple meal, paired with broccoli and buttered noodles, exemplifies one of the great pleasures of home cooking. It is the definition of pared down, but the result is full of flavors that one wouldn't expect from the hands of a home cook.




Recipe:

Chicken Piccata

3 Chicken breasts
Flour, as needed
Salt and pepper
2 lemons
3 tbsp capers
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine

1.) In a large pan, heat half of the butter and oil until melted. In a shallow dish, mix about 1 1/2 cups flour with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken and place into the hot pan, quickly browning and cooking through. Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm.
2.) Add the remaining butter and oil. When melted, add white wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, allowing the alcohol to cook off. Add the capers and the juice of one of the lemons and cook for a few minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the sauce to thicken.
3.) Add the chicken back into the pan, placing sliced lemons around the pan and on top of the breasts. Cover and allow to warm through. Serve.