Chicken Piccata

Last night we were able to recreate one of the dishes we learned in our cooking class, Chicken Piccata. I ended up using a combination of the recipe we received in class and Ina Garten's recipe.

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
3 Tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup + 1 1/2 Tablespoons flour
1 egg
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup dry white wine
juice from 2 lemons (about1/3 cup)
zest from 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 Tablespoons capers
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Directions
Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix 1 Tablespoon melted butter with 1 1/2 Tablespoons flour until smooth. Set aside. Place additional flour in a shallow dish. In a second dish, beat the egg. Place the bread crumbs in a third dish. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour to coat, shake off the excess, dip in the egg and finally into the bread crumbs.

Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large ovenproof saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place pan in 400° oven for 4-5 minutes, until completely cooked. Remove chicken from pan, reserving cooking liquids, and place onto platter. Cover with foil to keep warm.

In same pan, add onions and cook until tender, about 1 minute. Add wine, lemon juice and lemon zest. Whisk in butter-flour mixture and boil until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in capers and parsley and remaining 2 Tablespoons butter.

Spoon sauce over chicken breasts and garnish with chopped parsley and lemon slices.

Amanda's Analysis:
This turned out pretty well. It was not quite as good as when we had it in our cooking class, but tasty none the less. I thought the lemon flavor was a little to overpowering in the sauce, however it becomes less pungent when paired with the chicken. I do think I will use a little less lemon juice next time, though. Overall this was a very tasty and healthy dish. I give this piccata 6 spoons!

John's Jibba-Jabba:
I thought it turned out just as good as what we had in our cooking class. Yes, the lemon flavor was strong but it provided a freshness and bite that gave these simple chicken breasts some kick. It is really amazing how much more powerful fresh lemon juice is compared to what you get from a bottle. I think from now on I am going to try and use the real deal as much as possible. This piccata gets 6 spoons.