Easy Chicken Piccata

Like I've mentioned before, Clint and I both grew up on traditional southern comfort food. So when I began to learn to cook, a large number of the dishes I started with were not exactly diet friendly--heavenly, yes, but oh so heavy. Once Clint and I met and began cooking together on a regular basis, both of us realized that we needed to learn some staple, go-to recipes that are easy and yummy but also healthy. We're still on the look out for those kinds of recipes, but we have developed quite a collection of lighter meals that don't sacrifice on flavor.

One of our favorite weeknight dishes is Chicken Piccata. If you've never made this, you're really missing out. It packs tons of flavor without being overly heavy; furthermore, it only takes about 15 minutes to whip up. If you've never even eaten Chicken Piccata, it's a lightly breaded chicken breast served with a lemon and caper sauce. We like to serve it with Brussels sprouts sauteed with pecans and Parmesan cheese and a crusty bread. Oh so good!

Weeknight Chicken Piccata 

Ingredients
4 small/medium sized chicken breasts
3 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp light butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2/3 C boiling water
1 chicken bouillon cube
4 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp capers in liquid


Equipment
Cutting board (not wood)
Plastic wrap
Meat tenderizer
Large zip-lock bag
10" saute pan

Process
1. After trimming chicken breast of any excess fat/skin, place a sheet of plastic wrap on the cutting board, on top of that, place the chicken breasts (smooth side down) and an additional sheet of plastic wrap on top of the chicken.
2. Use the meat tenderizer to lightly beat the chicken, starting from the center and working outward, to about 1/3 of an inch thick
3. Combine flour, salt, and paprika in plastic bag.
4. Add flattened chicken breast to bag, and shake rapidly to lightly coat the entire breast.
5. In pan, melt butter and olive oil together over medium heat, add garlic once butter melts.
6. Once combined, place chicken in skillet, cooking for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden and juices run clear--make sure it's cooked through, but don't overcook the chicken. It will end up dry and tough.
 7. While chicken is cooking, boil water and add bouillon cube until incorporated.
8. Pull chicken from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.
9. Add chicken broth and lemon juice to saute pan, stirring frequently until the pan in deglazed.
10. Add in capers and simmer for 1 minute.
11. If sauce is too thin, increase heat to medium-high heat, allowing sauce to come to boil and reduce for about 1-2 minutes.
12. Add an additional Tbsp of butter to sauce, stirring until incorporated.
13. Add chicken back into pan and spoon sauce over.
14. Slice lemon and place on each chicken breast.

I highly recommend serving the chicken with crusty bread and a green vegetable. The dish is quite lemony, but the saltiness of the capers works well to cut through the tang. Enjoy!