Chicken Piccata

It's been a long day.  Tired. Getting hungry.  Not much in the fridge.  Man, even leftovers sound daunting and that's pretty bad.  I need something fast, easy, something that's going to perk me up a bit.  Yep, chicken piccata can do that.

My prep space.  Yes, I have an app to let me access recipes on my phone.

What is chicken piccata?  It's a lightly breaded chicken breast cooked in a lemon sauce.  Now, you're probably thinking "Wait Jeanna, breaded??  I thought you said easy!  Breading means flour and eggs and breadcrumbs and goopy fingers and mess!!"  Hang on, I promised fast and easy right?  Trust me.  You'll be making this the next time you've had a long, exhausting day.

Chicken Piccata
I think I got this from Family Circle

4 chicken breast cutlets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
1 shallot, finely chopped [Note: if you don't keep shallot on hand, finely chop half a small onion]
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1.  If you don't normally keep chicken cutlets on hand (I don't), no need to rush to the store.  Take 2 chicken breasts and cut them in half lengthwise so they're about half the thickness. 

2.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  Dredge the chicken through the flour, shaking off the excess. (See? I told you they were only lightly breaded)

Ignore the singed edges.  I'm terrible at thawing chicken ahead of time.

3.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat; melt butter.  Add the chicken and brown on each side.  Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside, covered, to keep warm.

4.  Add the shallot (or onion) to the pan and cook a minute or two to soften.  Pour in the wine, lemon juice, and capers and stir to combine.  Be sure to gently scrape up any browned bits from browning the chicken earlier.  Bring to a simmer.

If you're distracted and add the wine first, just soften onions quick in a second pan.

5.  Add chicken back to the pan and spoon a little sauce on top.  Partially cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Add parsley to the dish just before serving if you have it.  If you don't? Not the end of the world.

I. Love. This. Dish.  It is fast.  It is easy. And between the lemon juice and wine it has this bright, sunshiney flavor that's impossible to be sad in the face of.  The capers bring this kind of mustardy tang to the dish, toning down that intense lemon experience just a bit.  What's even better is that the leftover chicken?  Yeah, cut that up and use on top of a fresh spinach salad.  YUMMY!!  This is a really great dish for anyone super busy but still wants a homemade dinner at the end of the day.  I kid you not, this comes together in about 20 minutes.  Wahoo!!

Oh, and in case you're wondering, even Gavin liked this.  But then, he also likes to eat lemons.  Yeah, I know, weird. ;)