Chicken Piccata

I've had a few people ask me for this recipe. It is one of my favorite weekday recipes because it's easy, it's fast to make and always tastes good.  It serves about 3-4 persons.

Ingredients:

3-4 pieces skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
3 Tablespoons butter (or more for flavor)
3 Tablespoons olive oil (you might need more depending on the type of pan you use)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (you could use bottled lemon juice but it won't taste as good)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup capers, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste

This is very important: Before you start, get all the ingredients ready.  This is what the French call mise en place or everything in place.

• Measure out the flour and put in a flat dish or pie plate.  
• Get the butter, olive oil, salt and pepper ready.  
• Squeeze the lemon juice and have it ready in a measuring cup or small container. 
• Open the bottle of wine (I like to pour myself a small glass of wine to drink while I cook). 
• Measure out the capers, put them in a colander and rinse them well.  

Now you're ready to start.

First, pound the chicken breasts until they are an even thickness.  This helps the chicken to cook quickly and evenly.  I like to wrap the chicken breasts with plastic wrap and use the flat side of a meat tenderizer like the one pictured here.

Second, salt and pepper the chicken breasts

Next, put the flour in a plate or shallow pie plate (if you haven't already) and dip the chicken breasts in the flour to lightly coat with flour on both sides.

In a large 12-inch skillet set to medium or medium-high heat, pour half the olive oil (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons) and melt half the butter ( about 1 1/2 Tablespoons).  You can add more if needed.

Once the butter is bubbly, you can add the lightly floured chicken breast pieces to the skillet.

Cook the chicken for about 3-5 minutes or until brown on that side and then turn to brown the other side.  Cook until both sides are browned.

Remove the chicken pieces to a plate. Add the rest of the butter and olive oil to the pan and cook the other pieces of chicken the same way as the first two pieces. Remove them from the pan and put them in the plate with the other two pieces.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the lemon juice and white wine. Scrape up the brown bits from the pan.

Add the capers to the pan.

Check the flavor of the sauce and add butter, salt or pepper if needed. You might also need to add a bit more wine. Put the chicken back in the pan, cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens a bit.

Now you're ready to eat! I like to serve this with brown rice or noodles and steamed broccoli or a salad.