Chicken Piccata

Here’s a couple of fun facts about this dish. 1. It’s in my top 3 of favorite meals EVER. 2. I was very hesitant on sharing this recipe on the blog. (I almost waited to include this in a future cookbook – wink wink!) Any ways, not only is this one of my favorite meals, but it is also one of my families (my Italian side) favorite dishes as well. Whenever we have a birthday dinner, or a dinner for a special occasion, they always request that I make this! So, to me, this meal holds so much meaning. It reminds me of my family, all of the smiles on their faces while eating it and the excitement in the kitchen while I make it. I hope you all enjoy this recipe just as much as I do. Don’t forget to sprinkle a little love into this dish, it makes it so much better!

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 8 thin sliced breasts) – cleaned, tenderized and cut in half
• 1/4 cup of all purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/3 cup of dry white wine (I used Pino Grigio)
• 8 tablespoons of salted butter
• 1/3 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 1/2 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon of fresh minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
• 3/4 cup of fresh tomato (deseeded and diced into small cubes)
• 1/2 cup of small capers (drained from juice)
• 1/4 teaspoon of granulated garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of fresh minced parsley
• Kosher salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Set oven to 375°F.
2. Tenderize thin sliced chicken breast and cut in half.
3. Place flour into a small mixing bowl and add in a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix.
4. Dunk each piece of chicken into flour mixture. Be sure that each piece is fully coated in a thin layer of flour. Shake each piece to remove excess flour. Set aside onto a dry dish.
5. Set a large frying pan over medium/high heat and add in olive oil.
6. Once oil is hot, fry each piece of chicken for about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Fry in batches and do not over crowd the pan.
7. Once chicken is done frying, set aside into a deep baking dish.
8. Start the sauce: In the same pan used to fry the chicken, add in butter and garlic and sauté until golden brown. (DO NOT CLEAN THE PAN – all of the scraps and stickiness at the bottom of the pan is good!)
9. Once garlic is golden brown, immediately add in the white wine. Whisk well. Be sure to scrape any bits off of the bottom of the pan while whisking.
10. Next, add in lemon juice, chicken broth, capers, tomatoes garlic powder and parsley. Mix.
11. Add in desired amount salt & pepper to taste. (Start with a little pinch, then taste. Gradually add in more if needed!)
12. Pour sauce directly over chicken in baking dish. Tightly cover dish with tin foil and place into oven.
13. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken is 165°F.
14. Serve over your favorite pasta (my choice is linguini or angel hair) or rice! Be sure to coat pasta very well in piccata sauce.
15. Enjoy!