My oldest daughter is a chicken and turkey kind of gal. She loves a good chicken dinner with all the fixings (my Southernism for “side dishes”). She was quite the happy camper a few nights ago when I prepared this tasty little dish. I think she had several servings and asked when I might prepare this Piccata again. I love it when my family loves the dinner!
Lemon and chicken seem to compliment each other like pork and apples, or garlic and potatoes. They just always taste great together. Whether I’m stuffing a whole roaster with lemons and rosemary, or marinating chicken breasts in lemon and herbs, or preparing a chicken salad with preserved lemon vinaigrette, it’s always tasty and refreshing.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a Karista’s Kitchen recipe if it didn’t have at least one or more variations. Such as preparing the sauce to serve over a grilled, pan seared or baked fish. One sauce… two recipes. Gotta love it!
Keep dinner fresh, simple and delicious. Happy Cooking!
Serves 4
Ingredients
4-6 organic or free range chicken breast cutlets (or chicken breasts pounded thin)
Salt and Pepper
Sunflower or Safflower oil (used for high heat cooking)
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 lemon zested and juiced (about 3 – 4 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Grated parmesan cheese for garnish
Directions
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, sear the chicken breasts for 2-3 minutes and when they lift easily it will be ready to flip to the other side. Sear the other side for another 2-3 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a platter. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and sear until wilted, for 2-3 minutes. Next, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, capers, wine and half the basil. Bring it to a brisk simmer and then place the chicken breasts back into the sauce.
Let the chicken and sauce simmer on medium low for another 3-5 minutes or until the chicken is done and the sauce has reduced by half.
Transfer the chicken back to the platter and drizzle the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped basil and grated parmesan.
Serve with roasted baby red potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, buttered pasta, wild or brown rice, or herbed cous cous and roasted broccoli with garlic and Romano cheese (found under “sides” in the blog).
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