Mark Strausmans Chicken Piccata Food

THE BEST CHICKEN PICCATA

Steps:

• Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Cut two 12-inch sheets of plastic wrap.
• Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, making 4 roughly equal pieces; they should look like large chicken tenders. Place one sheet of plastic on a clean cutting board. Put a chicken piece in the center of the plastic and top with the other sheet of plastic. Pound the chicken with the flat side of a meat mallet, starting in the center and working your way to the edges, until the chicken is 1/4-inch thick and 6 to 8 inches long. Transfer to the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken, one piece at a time. Liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper. Refrigerate the chicken cutlets uncovered for 1 hour.
• Remove the zest from half of the lemon in wide strips with a vegetable peeler, leaving the bitter white pith behind. Halve and juice the whole lemon.
• Put the flour in a shallow bowl or plate. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and melt. Working in 2 batches, cook the cutlets, adding another tablespoon of butter to the skillet between batches, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side (it's ok if the chicken is not completely cooked through, it will finish cooking in the sauce). Transfer the cutlets to a plate.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic and 1 tablespoon of the butter to the skillet and cook until the garlic is tender and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add the capers, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, 1/4 cup water and the cutlets with any accumulated juices and bring to a boil. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Turn the chicken to coat in the sauce and cook until the butter melts and the sauce thickens slightly. Garnish with chopped parsley.

CHICKEN PICCATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
• Mix the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the egg and 1/2 tablespoon of water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.
• For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves and serve 1 chicken breast on each plate. Spoon on the sauce and serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

CHICKEN CUTLET PARMESAN

Steps:

• Using a meat tenderizer or a heavy skillet, pound chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic until flat, about 1/4 inch in thickness. Place milk, flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs in separate shallow baking dishes. Season eggs with a pinch of salt. Dip each breast in the following order: milk, flour (shake off excess), eggs, and breadcrumbs (press down firmly while coating with breadcrumbs).
• In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil over medium-high heat until sizzling. Arrange chicken breasts in the pan without crowding, cooking in batches if necessary. Reduce the heat, and cook chicken until golden brown and juices run clear when poked with a sharp fork, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove to a baking sheet lined with paper towels; pat off excess oil.
• Place 1/2 cup of the warm tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking dish. Add 3 cooked breasts to the baking dish; cover with 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce and half of the sliced mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and sauce; top with mozzarella. Transfer to broiler, and broil until the cheese is melted and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the broiler, and serve immediately.

CHICKEN PICCATA WITH GARLICKY GREENS & NEW POTATOES

Steps:

• Cook the new potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water for 8-10 mins until tender. Add the green beans and spring greens for the last 3 mins. Drain, then separate the greens from the potatoes.
• While the potatoes are cooking, cut the chicken breasts through the centre lengthways, leaving one side attached so it opens out like a book. Brush each one with 1 tsp of the olive oil, then season.
• Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and cook the chicken for 4 mins on each side until golden. Pour over the stock, capers, lemon juice and zest, then simmer gently for a few minutes to reduce. Add the cooked potatoes and simmer for another minute.
• Heat the remaining 1 tsp oil in another frying pan and fry the garlic for 1 min until lightly golden and fragrant. Tip in the drained greens, and toss in the garlicky oil. Season, then scatter over the parmesan and serve with the chicken and potatoes.

CHICKEN PICCATA

Steps:

• Place chicken between plastic wrap and pound evenly until about 1/4 inch thick.
• Spread flour in a shallow dish; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; whisk to combine. Place chicken in seasoned flour, turning to coat thoroughly, then tap off the excess.
• Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter starts to sizzle. Cook the chicken in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan (the cutlets should fit snugly in a single layer) until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes for each side. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the cutlet. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Pour out any excess fat from the pan.
• Return pan to medium heat and add wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 30 seconds. (If the liquid is reducing too quickly -- before all the browned bits have been incorporated -- remove the pan from the heat.) Remove the pan from the heat. Add lemon juice, capers, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter and swirl until melted and combined, then add parsley and season with salt as desired.
• Immediately pour the sauce over the chicken, and serve.

CHICKEN SCALLOPINE

Steps:

• Cut each piece of chicken in half horizontally and place each piece between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using the smooth side of a meat mallet, pound to 1/4-inch thickness.
• Place flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Lightly coat chicken pieces with seasoned flour, tapping to remove excess.
• In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter and oil over high heat, until hot but not smoking. Brown chicken in batches, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter and keep warm.
• Remove any excess fat from the skillet and discard. Add wine, chicken broth, lemon juice, and capers. Cook over high heat until simmering and slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and swirl skillet to melt. Pour sauce over chicken, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

MARK STRAUSMAN'S CHICKEN PICCATA

Steps:

• Place chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat tenderizer, pound chicken breasts slightly to an even thickness.
• Dredge chicken in flour, shaking to remove excess. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken until just golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove excess oil from skillet, and add wine, capers, lemon juice, parsley, and stock. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve chicken with sauce from skillet and sauteed vegetables.