Chicken Piccata

Every couple months, I pull out a stack of my cookbooks and review the many purple post-its marking recipes "to be made one day." Then I diligently sit down, make a menu for the week and a grocery list for the next day.

 (Before you roll your eyes at me and think I'm bragging about being little miss organized...reread, and notice I do this 'every couple of months...' when I'm really on the ball.)

After doing the hard part and planning the meals, I look forward to one of the few housewifey duties that I enjoy: making dinner. 

This week I picked up my Barefoot Contessa at home book and decided on the Chicken Piccata. 

And I'm very glad I did.

I really enjoyed the strong tangy sauce that goes with this chicken. I did a rice pilaf on the side, but I was thinking it would also be yummy over orzo pasta or even cous cous. 

First off, I've mentioned before, if you don't have sou chef 1 and 2, you should really think about getting a couple. They are very helpful. They test my lemons to make sure they're the lemoniest lemons. They were. They also like to test the danger of knives and hot stoves in the kitchen, which they believe should be tested regularly. (Luckily, no children were harmed during these tests.) 

Back to the cooking. After pounding the chicken flattish, we dredge in seasoned flour. 

Then plop it in the egg.

Then in the bread crumbs. (I added some Parmesan. rebel.) Then brown both sides of the chicken on a medium hot pan with olive oil. Don't cook it all the way through, just partially. When all the chicken has been dredged and browned, stick them in the oven, in a pan of course, at 400 degrees for 5-10 mintues to finish the cooking. This will make them nice and tender.

While the chicken is cooking, make the lemony wine sauce.

Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and serve!

Chicken Piccata

recipe by The Barefoot Contessa, slightly modified.

4 split (2 whole) Chicken breasts

Kosher Salt and Pepper

1 c. Flour

2 Large Eggs

1 1/2 c. seasoned dried Bread Crumbs

1/3 c. grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Good Olive Oil

3 T. Butter

1 T. Sugar

1/3 c. freshly squeezed Lemon Juice (2 lemons),

 lemon halves reserved

1/2 c. Dry White Wine

sliced Lemon and chopped parsley, for serving

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Place each chicken breast between the parchment sheets and pound it out to about 1/4-1/2 thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
• Mix the flour, salt and pepper on a shallow plate.
• In a second plate or bowl, beat the eggs.
• Placed the bread crumbs (and optional cheese) on a third plate.
• Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and then bread-crumb mixtures.
• Heat 2 T. olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add chicken breasts and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until just browned. Place them on the sheet pan while you cook the rest of the chicken. Heat more olive oil in the saute pan and cook the second 2 chicken breasts. Place them on the same sheet pan and bake them to 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.
• For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a paper towel. On medium heat, melt 1 T of the butter and then add the lemon juice, white wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 T of butter (and 1 T sugar, optional) and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves. Spoon sauce onto each chicken breast with parsley and lemon.