Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Caper-less Chicken Piccata



Chicken Piccata
The Ugly Binder, from Taste of Home's Light and Tasty Magazine Sept 2004

8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
½ cup egg substitute I used real eggs
2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup dry white wine or chicken broth, divided I used wine
5 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup minced fresh parsley I used dried
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons butter

Flatten chicken to ¼-inch thickness. In a shallow dish, combine the egg substitute, 2 tablespoons wine or broth, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, garlic and hot pepper sauce. In another shallow dish, combine flour, Parmesan cheese, parsley and salt. Coat chicken with flour mixture, dip in egg mixture, then coat again with flour mixture.

In a large non-stick skillet, brown half the chicken breasts in 1 ½ tablespoons oil for 3-5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Remove chicken and keep warm. Drain drippings. Repeat with remaining chicken and oil. Remove chicken and keep warm.

In the same pan, melt the butter. Add the remaining wine or broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Boil, uncovered, until reduced by a fourth. Drizzle over chicken.

Makes 8 servings. Per serving: 246 calories, 8 g fat, 79 mg chol, 398 mg sodium, 8 g carbs, trace fiber, 32 g protein.

What I liked about this recipe is that it didn't use capers, like many Chicken Piccata recipes. Not that I don't like capers but two weeks ago I bought a bottle of them and it never made it into the cupboard. The jar crashed onto the floor while I was putting my groceries away. Capers aren't cheap and it's going to be a while before I forget the sting of losing that bottle and recover enough emotionally to replace it.

This was really tasty. I didn't even need much sauce on it since the coating had so much flavor. It was kind of a PITA to make after work - pounding chicken, grating cheese, juicing lemons, mincing garlic, all while a cat and a 2-year old were vying for my attention. I don't multi-task very well.

Question of the Day: Are you an 'organized' cook or chaotic cook?

7 comments:

The Cookbook Junkie said...

Lately I've been more of a chaotic cook. I understand the concept of mise en plas but I don't like to dirty more dishes than I need. But I end up making a bigger mess without mise en plas.

Randi said...

I shouldnt admit this but Im very chaotic. Im trying to get a mize set up first. Oh, and btw, I get my capers the dollar store. Most dollar store's Ive seen carry them.

Anonymous said...

I have great expectations to stay organized while cooking, but usually by the time the meal is ready, it's total chaos.

I'm going to have to try this chicken piccata recipe. Looks yummy!

Anonymous said...

Sadly,very chaotic.I try to plan and get orginized.It somehow never works out.

Heather said...

I try to be organized by making menus and prepping anything I can ahead of time, but usually my life is too hectic and I get too lazy to do that.

Anonymous said...

Both! I start out very organized, with mise en place, but with 1-3 dishes on average for every meal, the mess and chaos at the end is unavoidable. A good friend of mine thought that her (ex now) husband should be cleaner when cooking, and I am a very organized person normally, but it is something you can't control during that last 15-30 minutes of cooking. It doesn't bother me!

On the times I haven't had time to mise, it was sooooooo stressful, so I try to avoid that if I can. Enough to do without chopping stuff at the end and running out to the garden for more thyme while praying for more time!

glib said...

you don't add flour to sauce to thicken it?