Chicken Piccata
My love of cooking really blossomed in my early twenties. I would cook for the guy I was dating at the time or a groups of friends One of my favorite dishes to make was Chicken Piccata. Somehow over the years that recipe dropped off my rotation.
I have been considering joining the group Barefoot Bloggers, a group of bloggers who are working their way through The Barefoot Contessa recipes. She is one of my favorite Food Network chefs and I own everyone of her cookbooks. While not officially part of the group yet, I saw that Chicken Piccata was the recipe for this week so I decided to jump in and revisit an old favorite.
The dish is a great after work recipe. It is quickly put together and involves only 7 minutes cooking time. How many dishes are that quick. Her sauce is very lemony and tart which I like. If you don’t like it that tart you could cut down a bit of the lemon juice. Her recipe also differed from my old recipe with the addition of bread crumbs. I liked the combo of crunch and tart. I also liked browning in the pan and finishing it off in the oven. The chicken came out moist and not dry.
What dish would you want to revisit?
Chicken Piccata
by Ina Garten
2 split (1 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 extra-large egg
1/2 tablespoon water
3/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
Good olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
1/2 cup dry white wine
Sliced lemon, for serving
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
Mix the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the egg and 1/2 tablespoon of water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.
For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves and serve 1 chicken breast on each plate. Spoon on the sauce and serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.
