Chicken picatta
Chicken
Chicken picatta
Despite the capers, picatta/piccata is not to be confused with piquante. They are, in fact, tiny escalopes. It's an Italian thing that crossed the Atlantic and the spelling got confused.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, skin removed
- 2 tbsp white flour seasoned with salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 60g butter, unsalted
- 2 lemons, 1 juiced and 1 sliced into thin half moons
- 150ml dry white wine
- 1 tbsp brined capers, rinsed or ½ tbsp soaked, salted capers
- 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Lay the chicken breasts on a chopping board and cut in half, horizontally, lengthways. Halve each piece crossways and gently tap out into thin escalopes.
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Step 2
Coat with the seasoned flour. In a large frying pan heat the olive oil and half the butter. When it's hot, but not burning, quickly fry the chicken. It shouldn't take any time at all (literally 30 seconds a side) but it looks better if it's just beginning to brown. Put the chicken on a plate under a piece of foil.
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Step 3
Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice and white wine. Lower the heat and add the capers, lemon slices and remaining butter. Simmer gently until it begins to thicken. Season to taste.
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Step 4
Return the chicken to the pan to reheat and add the chopped parsley. In the best American tradition of mixing the primo and secondo, we had ours with new potatoes dressed with a spoonful of homemade pesto and a salad and it was close to the perfect summer supper – not too much of a blow out and ready in 20 minutes.
