Chicken Piccata

We will be making a tried and true recipe in the Cafe tonight: Chicken Piccata.  Along with some sort of to be determined salad, we will serve this dish over angel hair pasta.  Thanks to our friends at Art of the Table, we will enjoy this meal with a bottle of "The Tillerman" from the Hook & Ladder Winery.  We have recently become a bit more adventurous with our white wine pairings, so we are looking forward to trying this wine.  As ever, cocktails are at 6:30PM, sharp.


Ingredients:

• 3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (1 1/2 - 2 lbs.)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• Additional all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1/4 cup capers, drained
• Angel hair pasta
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley (optional)

Recipe:

1. Using a kitchen hammer (sometimes called a meat tenderizer), pound the chicken breasts several times to flatten them.  Next, cut the chicken into bite size pieces.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper to taste.  Place additional flour in a shallow baking dish.  Dip the chicken into flour to coat and shake off the excess flour. Set aside the chicken.
2.  Mix 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons flour into a measuring cup and gently warm the mixture in a microwave oven and set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy skillet.  Add the chicken to the skillet and cook over medium high heat until golden brown.  Remove the chicken and place on a platter.  Tent the chicken with aluminum foil to keep warm.
4. In the same skillet, bring the wine, lemon juice and broth to a boil over medium high heat.  Whisk in the butter flour mixture and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the capers, parsley and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.  Place the chicken into skillet and warm the chicken for 3-4 minutes, then serve over the previously prepared Angel Hair Pasta.
5. Garnish with parsley if desired.