Chicken Piccata
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
An easy weeknight chicken dish served over soft Parmesan Polenta
Author:
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 small lemons
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 med. boneless, skinless chicken (about 1.5 lbs)
  • --- salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 4 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 med. shallot, minced finely
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 1 TBSP. small capers, drained and rinsed well
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
  • 3 TBSP. butter, room temperature
  • 2 TBSP. fresh parsley, minced
Instructions
  1. Trim the end from one of the lemons, slice it into ¼ inch thick slices crosswise, and set aside. Juice the second lemon and reserve.
  2. To make chicken cutlets, slice each chicken breast in half horizontally, as you want to butterfly them. If the chicken breasts are large, cut each into two pieces after butterflying them. For thicker chicken breasts, after you butterfly them, place them between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them with a meat tenderizer. Sprinkle both sides generously with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow baking dish. Coat each chicken cutlet thoroughly with flour, shake to remove excess, and set aside.
  3. Heat the oil in a 12” skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook the chicken cutlets, without moving them, until browned on first side; about 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn over the cutlets, cover, and cook until the second side is lightly browned; about 2 minutes longer. Transfer the cutlets to a small plate and keep warm.
  4. Add the shallot to the empty skillet and lower the heat to medium. Sauté until fragrant, (but not brown); about 1 minute. Add the wine and the capers to the pan and gently swirl, making sure you scrape any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spatula, so you deglaze the skillet. This will take about 3 minutes, at which point most of the wine will be almost completely evaporated.
  5. To the skillet add the stock and the lemon slices and simmer until the liquid reduces to about ½ a cup.
  6. Next, add the butter and swirl the skillet until the butter melts and thickens the sauce. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Simmer for a few more minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, turning it over a couple of times. Add the lemon juice (all or half of it, depending on how much you like lemons). Sprinkle with the parsley and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
For a dairy-free version, you can replace the butter with extra virgin olive oil and the taste will still be great!
Recipe by Marilena's Kitchen at https://marilenaskitchen.com/chicken-piccata-with-creamy-polenta/