Zesty Lemon Chicken Piccata

Tips to get you started:

· This is a one pan dish, fast and easy for weeknight cooking but with the indulgence of a date night out dinner. It can also be made ahead and held hot for a dinner party dish.

· I prefer to use Kerry gold brand butter for the flavor for this recipe.

· The nutrition information is calculated for use of 1/3 teaspoon salt and 1/3 teaspoon pepper, adding more of either will impact your specific recipe’s flavor and nutritional values.

· If you’re not cooking for a crowd, portions of chicken can be saved (without sauce on them) and reheated in the oven or toaster oven to crisp them back up before adding reheated sauce.

· Kids love this version of pan-fried chicken with or without the sauce (depending on how much they like lemon! My daughter will eat lemons raw, so she loves it with lots of sauce).

Prep time: 10-15 minutes

Cook time: 20-30 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

3/4 Cup all-purpose flour

¼ - ½ Teaspoon sea salt

¼ - ½ Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 four-ounce chicken breasts, bones and skin removed

1 1/2 Teaspoons fresh garlic, minced

1 Cup chicken stock

1/2 Cup fresh lemon juice, plus 1/2 lemon, sliced very thin

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons capers, rinsed well and drained

2 tablespoons roughly chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

Part one: Place a medium oven safe serving platter in the oven before you turn it on and preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Slice the chicken breasts into ½ inch thick medallions. Season the chicken breast pieces moderately with salt and pepper and set aside.

Part two: In a large frying pan over medium high heat, place the EVOO. As the oil heats up, dredge your chicken. Place flour into a large dinner plate and dredge the medallions through the flour, coating them evenly and removing any excess flour by shaking the medallions gently. Once the oil in the pan is shimmering hot and not smoking, add your first batch of chicken to the pan and cook 2-3 minutes per side. Place the batches on the baking dish/serving tray in the oven to hold the chicken while you make your pan sauce. Note: If the pan gets too dry between batches, add a bit more EVOO so that all pieces can be cooked to have a golden-brown crust on both sides. Do not wipe out the pan.

Part three: Place the pan used to cook the chicken over medium heat and remove all but about 1 tablespoon of the oil used to cook the chicken. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant but not browned. Add the chicken stock and stir to loosen browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the lemon juice and capers and cook until the pan sauce has reduced by about half, add the lemon slices and butter to the pan and cook for one more minute until the butter melts, stir this into the sauce. Add salt and pepper, to your personal taste preference.

Part four: Arrange your chicken medallions on the serving platter, and ladle pan sauce over the top. Garnish with the lemon slices and chopped parsley. Serve.

Tiny chefs at home? They can help:

· Pull the parsley leaves off the parsley

· Measure ingredients

· Juice the lemon

Nutrition information:

Total Calories: 341

Total Fat: 22 g

Cholesterol: 85 mg

Sodium: 590 mg

Total Carbohydrates: 15 g

Sugars: 1 g

Protein: 25 g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.