Easy Chicken Piccata

My mom and Stan came over for dinner tonight. They also came over to play a serious game of Texas Holdem. If mom and Stan come over for dinner we always play cards and always have a blast. Stan may as well be my step dad because he and my mom have been together for like 25 years! I love having my mom and Stan over for dinner because they always oooh and aaah over everything I make, well almost everything. They are very simple eaters and not very adventurous when it comes to certain foods, especially my mom. I love her to pieces but there are certain foods she just won't even give a try like asparagus. So any food that I serve beyond meat and potatoes, mom and Stan inspect it before they take a bite. Most of the time they love it. Thankfully, they have become more adventurous when it comes to trying new foods. So when they come over for dinner I make a recipe they would never make themselves but I know they would love. One time when they were over for dinner I made my mom and Stan an Iceberg Wedge Salad with Bacon and Blue Cheese Dressing. They kept commenting on how creative it was that I served the salad in wedge form. They also kept commenting on how delicious the salad was, particularly the blue cheese dressing. When I mentioned the blue cheese dressing was all natural with no preservatives, Stan was like "what do you mean blue cheese dressing????" He proceeded to say that he didn't even like blue cheese dressing, he thought it was ranch dressing and he further said that if he knew ahead it was blue cheese he wouldn't have eaten it. We all laughed hysterically because he loved the blue cheese dressing I served….he was a blue cheese lover and didn't even know it. We love you mom and Stan and find your quirky food aversions quite endearing! So for dinner tonight I decided to make them Chicken Piccata. I figured they like chicken, they like garlic and they like lemon, so the only wild card ingredient was the capers. I love this chicken piccata recipe and it's a staple I make often. It's so simple to make, utilizes simple ingredients and the end result is simply divine. Lemon, butter, white wine, chicken stock, garlic and capers make up the piccata sauce….who doesn't like those ingredients? The sauce is so tangy and flavorful. Thin chicken cutlets are used in this classic dish so it cooks quickly and evenly. I served it over angel hair pasta but it's good over any pasta or rice. This is a great dish to make when you are having guests over for dinner; it's quick cooking, easy and elegant. I worked all day today and whipped up this dinner for 7 people in under 40 minutes. So did my mom and Stan like my chicken piccata, did they eat the capers? To find out check out their food impressions below! Salute to easy chicken piccata and mom and Stan giving new recipes a try!

Dredging the chicken cutlets in my favorite
 pan searing flour from Wegmans

Saute the chicken in olive oil until they are golden brown

Making the piccata sauce…I love it when a recipe requires wine!

Chicken sauteing and piccata sauce simmering
The lemon smells so good! 

Easy Chicken Piccata

Delicious served over pasta

Easy Chicken Piccata (Click to print recipe)

Preparation and cook time: 40 minutes

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 8 thinly cut/pounded chicken cutlets, 1/4 inch
• 4 tb olive oil
• 1/4 cup flour for dredging chicken
• salt n pepper
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 tb minced garlic
• 3 tb capers
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

In a large saute pan heat olive oil over medium heat. Meanwhile, dredge chicken cutlets in flour and salt n pepper. Add chicken to pan and sauté until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side. In another sauté pan, add butter, garlic and capers and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add wine and bring to a roaring boil and then reduce heat to medium. Add chicken stock, lemon juice and 2 lemon slices and cook for 10 minutes. Add parsley and stir. On a platter place chicken and top with piccata sauce. Serve over pasta or rice.

Food Impressions:

Nate: "Ohhh this is lemony. I really the chicken." He did not eat the capers

Tyler: "Is there more?" He barely spoke during dinner or took a breath he was eating so fast…he loved it and he ate the capers.

Zachary: "Flawless." Interesting word, I think it meant he loved it because he ate everything on his plate. He also asked if it was fish! He ate the capers.

Dave: "Delicious and flavorful." He ate all of his capers and I think he even ate Nate's.

Mom: "Andrea, this is so good, just super. Delicioso!" Yay! She ate her capers and liked them. She didn't love them but she said hey these capers aren't bad, they taste like tiny olives.

Stan: "Excellent, as always Andrea." He pushed all of his capers aside and didn't eat them….but at least he tried an avocado…no he didn't like it!

Andrea: Love this recipe. It's a staple in recipe book and make it often. Super easy to make and a great weeknight meal.

Nate and Stan, our non caper eaters! 

Ready to play a serious game of Texas Holdem!

Stan and Dave won the game and split the pot…this time!
Just wait until til next time boys!