Chicken Piccata

Submitted by Backstop

Here is something I have been doing, and changing things up. It's just a basic pan-fry thing, but you can mod it to your liking and make several different dishes. I am also footnoting some techniques you might not know if you are a microwave-and-can-opener level cook.

Ingredients

 * 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
 * 1 cup flour
 * Salt and pepper
 * Butter
 * Olive oil
 * 1/4 cup lemon juice
 * 1/4 cup capers*
 * A handful of chopped parsley

*Capers are usually found near the olives at the store. They are a very strong taste, a little goes a long way.

Preparation
Butterfly* the chicken, then cut each breast in half so you have 4 "butterflies". Mix about a teaspoon each of black pepper and salt into the flour. Put this flour mixture into a shallow bowl or plate, and dredge** the breasts.

Cook the chicken
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Throw in 3 pats of butter (a pat is about a tablespoon) and about three or four tablespoons of the olive oil. Once the butter melts and gets to sizzling, add the chicken, laying flat. Leave it to fry for about 3 minutes, then flip and let cook for 3 more minutes. If you have a smaller frying pan, you may want to do this in 2 batches, but be sure to add a little more oil and butter in between. Remove chicken and set aside.

Make the sauce
There should be a good amount of oil, butter, and chicken drippings in the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low, and pour in the lemon juice and capers, and add a dash of salt and pepper. Use your spatula to scrape any brown bits from the pan into the rest of the liquid, they are tasty. Turn the heat back up to medium-high until this liquid boils, then put the chicken back in for about 3 more minutes to get the lemony flavor. Take the chicken out, put about 2 more pats of butter into the pan, and whisk it all up until it's melted. Pour it all over the chicken, then sprinkle the parsley on top and serve.

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* Butterfly: Lay the chicken breast flat, pointing away from you. Hold your knife horizontally, also pointing away from you, and slice into the breast, but not cutting it all the way through. You are basically leaving a 1/2 inch (or less) hinge so you could open the breast like a book, or like butterfly wings.

** Dredge: Take the chicken breastand rinse it off with water, then shake off the excess water so it's just damp, not dripping. Lay the breast on the plate of flour, and flop it around to coat it completely. Pick it up by an end and shake it gently to get the excess off. You just want a thin coat, not a breading.

Variations
You can change out the lemon for lime, and the capers for sliced up garlic, and the parsley for cilantro. You can even change out the chicken for fish fillets, but you don't butterfly them. It sounds like a lot of work, but once you have the method down (and a sharp knife) it all gets done in about a half hour or so.