Chicken Piccata (My Way)

I have been wanting to make Chicken Piccata (My Way) for quite some time now. I mean, what's not to like? Chicken, lemon, garlic, capers, wine... yup... all good. So we had chicken piccata for lunch today. And it was good. I am sharing my version with you. It is loosely adapted from the Lemon Chicken Piccata found on All Recipes.

This recipe cooks pretty quickly once it goes in the pan, so I recommend having everything prepped and ready to go before you start.

I started with getting the garlic chopped, lemon squeezed, liquids measured, and my chicken butterflied and pounded thin. I also started some penne pasta because that is what I wanted with my chicken piccata.

Chopping garlic with my favorite knife. I realize this is probably overkill, but it is really a kick-butt knife!

 I squeezed one whole lemon into a small bowl, and I took the time to pick out all the seeds, because it just isn't any fun biting into one of them while you are eating.

Okay, seriously... how good does that lemon look?

 I used two chicken breasts and sliced them in half so I ended up with four chicken breast halves. Then I covered them in saran wrap and used a mallet to brutally beat them into submission. The thinner, the better, really. This serves a couple of purposes. First, it greatly reduces the amount of time to cook. Second, it greatly reduces the risk of under-cooking the chicken, or over-cooking the chicken. Once it is browned on each side, it's done!

My poor brutalized chicken. It looks sad, doesn't it?

I melted equal parts butter and oil in a pan and browned the chicken on each side. This takes about 2-3 minutes per side.

Side one...

...Side two!

 Then I added the garlic and let it brown for about a minute, just until it gets really fragrant. Then in goes the wine to deglaze the pan. This is your chance to get up all the delicious little browned bits that really make the recipe even better. Once the pan is deglazed, in goes the lemon, broth, and capers. A little salt and pepper, and let it reduce.

Once the sauce is reduced down to about half, stir in the last Tbsp of butter and you are ready to eat!

Delicious, I tell you.

Chicken Piccata

2 Chicken Breasts, butterflied and pounded thin
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Butter
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1 Lemon, juiced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp Capers
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp Butter

Heat the oil and butter in a pan on medium heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Brown the chicken on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about one minute. Then add the wine and deglaze the pan. Then add the lemon juice, chicken broth and capers. Reduce the sauce by half. This takes about 5 minutes. Once the sauce is reduced, stir in the last bit of butter and any additional salt and pepper you desire, and you are ready to eat!

This is good served with pasta or rice.