Comfort Food: Chicken Piccata

Chicken cutlets cooked and doused with a silky pan sauce that features, lemon juice, wine, and garlic.  A quick and easy dish that will bring you healthy yet comfort feels on a winter night.

Chicken Piccata

Need a quick and easy chicken dish that's also healthy to start off the New Year?  I've got an classic one for you.  Chicken Piccata  Just a few simple steps create a dish every bit as good as restaurant versions, ready to serve alongside a towering green salad and a simple whole wheat pasta or good loaf of crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Piccata is the method by which a meat is floured, browned, and served with a sauce.  In this case my version contains lemon, wine, chicken broth, and garlic.  Typically capers are included in the original version, but I ran out of them.  Try adding some for a briny/salty bite to the dish.

Easy enough for a weeknight, Chicken Piccata is one dish that you will love and have you feeling all cozy.  It's a perfect healthy comfort food.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, or thin cutlets

• all purpose flour

• butter

• reduced sodium chicken broth

• cornstarch

• white wine

• garlic

• lemon

• parsley

Substitutions and Variations

• You can omit the wine, use a little more chicken broth.

• Omit the garlic it you would like. It's not in the original dish but the small amount give the sauce more depth of flavor.

• Add some fresh thyme to the sauce.

• Use chicken thighs, veal or pork cutlets.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Make sure your cutlets are even in height.  If not pound them to even them out.  They will cook evenly and quickly.

• Have the sauce ingredients ready to go while you are cooking the chicken.

• Set up you dredging station next to your hot skillet so you can dredge and go straight in to the skillet with each piece.

• Lightly flouring the cutlets lets them brown quickly without overcooking and helps thicken the sauce.

• Cooking in a combination of butter and oil will result in golden browned meat.

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Chicken Piccata

serves 4

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved horizontally to make cutlets
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup white wine
1 garlic clove, minced
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
lemon slices - (optional)
parsley chopped (optional)

On a plate or in a pie pan stir together flour, salt and pepper. Dip chicken into flour mixture, turning to coat, shaking off the excess flour.   In a ;arge skillet heat oil and butter over medium-high. Add chicken; cook 8 to 9 minutes, flipping at midpoint, until done (165 degrees F). Remove from skillet to a platter and cover with foil.  

Meanwhile, in a liquid measuring cup stir together broth and cornstarch and set aside.  Add garlic and wine tothe skillet, cook and stir up the brown bits 1 minute.  Wine will reduce.  Stir in cornstarch/broth mixture. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer 1 minute or until thick. Stir in lemon juice and zest.  

Drizzle chicken with sauce and top with lemon slices and a parsley.  Serve.