Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata was one thing I never imagine eating, let alone making. Why? Because I hadn't the foggiest what capers, a main ingredient, were or even what they tasted like. So finally I just said what the heck and bought a couple lemmons and a jar of capers and went to work. I have to say it was really good. I thought it was time to find out what capers where. I had thought that they were simply a undried peppercorn but to my surprise they are actually a flower bud from a perennial spiny bush that is normally found in the Mediterranean region. They are picked and either salted or brined. I served the chicken with Parmesan Pepper spaghetti and roasted broccoli with garlic and I've included those recipes here as well.

What you need:

4 chicken cutlets or 2 larger chicken breast, butterflied, then cut in half and pounded semi-thin
salt and pepper
flour for dredging
4 tbs butter
6 tbs olive oil
1/3 c lemon juice
1/2 c white wine
1/4 c capers
parsley

What to do:

Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Melt 1 tbs of butter with 3 tbs olive oil. Once hot, cook chicken a few minutes on each side or until browned. Remove to a plate, add in another tbs of butter and remaining olive oil and finish cooking the rest of the chicken. Remove to plate. Whisk in lemon juice, wine and capers to deglaze the pan, scraping up any bit on the bottom. Return the chicken to the pan and let simmer in the sauce for about 5 minutes. Remove chicken to a serving platter and whisk the remaining two tbs of butter into your sauce, then pour it over the chicken.

Parmesan Pepper Spaghetti:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a bowl and cook 1 lb of spaghetti until al dente. Drain, saving about a cup of the cooking water. Toss the spaghetti with 1 tbs olive oil, 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese and several grinds of fresh black pepper. Use the pasta water to help melt the cheese and get it to stick to the pasta.

Roasted Broccoli:

Take two boxes of frozen broccoli spears out and let them thaw. Place them on a baking pan. Drizzle with a good amount of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle two cloves of chopped garlic over it. Toss it all together with your hands and bake in the oven at 350 degree for about 45 or until the broccoli is cooked through and has started to brown.

H A P P Y  C O O K I N G !!