I've been feeling a little bored with my own cooking lately. More accurately, I've been completely sick of my own cooking lately. So, I decided to shake things up a bit. To get out of my cooking funk, I've tried a whole bunch of new recipes over the past few weeks, several of which have been company worthy. Scott and Abby have loved it. Caroline and Ben have been begging for chicken nuggets and hot dogs.
I can't take any credit for the following recipe, but I can vouch that it is easy, quick and FABULOUS. (For original version go to Cooking Light's Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata).
Lemon Chicken Piccata
(photo of my dinner on Monday -- sooooo good)
Ingredients:
1 to 1.5 pounds chicken breasts or cutlets
1 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/3 cup crisp white wine
1/2 cup lower-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (about 3 lemons) (regular lemons also OK)
2-4 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I skipped the parsley, but I'm sure it would look even nicer with it)
Preparation:
1. Place each cutlet between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound each cutlet to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet. Sprinkle cutlets with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge cutlets in flour.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add one half of the cutlets to pan, and sauté 2 minutes. Turn cutlets over; sauté for 1 minute. Remove the cutlets from pan. Repeat the procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 2 cutlets.
3. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Cook until broth mixture is reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 4 minutes). Stir in juice and capers. Serve over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.
4. Enjoy!!
Most of the new recipes I have tried recently came from Cooking Light (March 2011), but I also bought a new soup cookbook that I absolutely love, the New England Soup Factory Cookbook. This cookbook has some unusual soups and terrific versions of the classics.
Some of the last few week's gastronomic highlights:
- Artichoke and Goat Cheese Strata (also company worthy from Cooking Light, Mar 11)
- Mini Farfalle with Roasted Peppers, Onions, & Feta -- I omitted mint from the original Cooking Light recipe. Scott gave this dish a rare 9 out of 10 (with 10 out of 10 only possible from Alba Restaurant).
- Spicy Tortilla Soup with Shrimp and Avocado (Cooking Light, Mar 11)
- Country Split Pea Soup with Bacon and Potatoes (comfort food from the NE soup cookbook above)
- Spinach, Feta, and Toasted Pine Nut Soup (creamy and satisfying from NE Soup Cookbook)
yum. i love chicken picatta - i'll have to try this!!
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