Make it Like Mom: Chicken Piccata

This is my last featured recipe for Make it Like Mom Week. It's a really fast and easy dish, but so delicious too. I always buy Perdue thin-sliced chicken breasts when I make this because it's so much easier and less messy than buying regular chicken breasts and either slicing them in half horizontally or pounding them until thin enough. Just because I like cooking and have a food blog, that doesn't mean I can't take some shortcuts in the kitchen!

I'm not a big wine drinker, so in the past when I've bought a bottle of wine to cook with, I've ended up with too much left over that often goes to waste. I finally got smart and bought a 4-pack of small wine bottles. I was able to use what was needed in the recipe and than had just half a glass left to enjoy with my dinner. No waste, and I still get to use real wine instead of cooking wine, which I don't really recommend. And now I have a few small bottles all ready to go for the next time I want to cook with wine.

This chicken goes really well with rice pilaf and, if you're more of an adult than I am and remember to cook vegetables with your meals, some green beans would be a good pairing. Some day I'll grow up and eat my veggies.

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs. chicken breast (either thin-sliced kind or pounded to 1/4 in. thickness)

½ c. flour

4 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

3 Tbsp lemon juice

½ c. white wine

½ c. chicken broth

2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

Directions:

Coat chicken with flour, shake off excess. In large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of the butter and the olive oil. Add chicken to skillet, as many pieces as will fit comfortably. Cook to brown one side, about 2 minutes, then turn and brown the other side. Transfer to plate. Repeat with any remaining pieces of chicken. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Leave pan drippings in skillet and add lemon juice, white wine, and broth. Heat to boiling and boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to loosen all the browned particles. Add the remaining butter, bit by bit until all the butter is melted. Add in chopped parsley.

Return chicken to the skillet and heat, turning each piece in the sauce to coat. Serve with sauce poured over the chicken.