Tyler Florence 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 CACCIATORE

Steps:

• Start by preparing the peppers because they will take the longest. Preheat the broiler. Pull out the cores of the red peppers; then halve them lengthwise and remove the ribs and seeds. Toss the peppers with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place them on a cookie sheet, skin side up, and broil for 10 minutes, until really charred and blistered. Put the peppers into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and steam for about 10 minutes to loosen the skins. Peel the peppers and roughly chop into chunks; set aside.
• Season the flour with the garlic powder, dried oregano, and a fair amount of salt and pepper. Whisk the egg and milk together in a shallow bowl. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour and tap off the excess. Dip each piece in the egg wash to coat and then dredge with the flour again. Place a Dutch oven over medium heat and pour in about 1/4-inch of oil. Pan-fry the chicken in batches, skin side down, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Turn the chicken over and brown the other side about 10 minutes longer. Remove the chicken to a side plate, pour out the oil, and clean out the pot.
• Put the pot back on the stove and coat with 1/4 cup of oil. Add the garlic, onion, tomatoes, lemon slices, anchovies, capers, red pepper flakes, half the roasted red peppers, and half the basil. Season with salt and pepper. This part of the recipe is going to be your base. What we are looking for is a fragrant vegetable pulp, so simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring often, until everything breaks down.
• Add the remaining roasted peppers and the remaining basil. Tuck the chicken into the stewed peppers and pour in the wine. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.

CHICKEN FRANCESE

Steps:

• Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, beat the eggs with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.
• Dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Remove the chicken cutlets to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.
• Toss the lemon slices into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the wine, broth, and lemon juice, simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly. Roll the butter in some flour and add it to the skillet, this will thicken the sauce. Stir to incorporate and dissolve the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the chicken to the pan; place the lemon slices on top of the cutlets. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

THE ULTIMATE VEAL PICCATA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside in a large bowl
• Set a large saute pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. In a shallow bowl combine the flour and salt and pepper, to taste. Lightly coat cutlets in the flour. Beat eggs in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of water and season with salt and pepper. Dip cutlets in egg wash and then place straight into the hot pan. Cook the veal about 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Set veal cutlets aside on a plate. Deglaze pan with white wine and reduce by half. Add lemon juice, capers, and half the parsley, then add 2 tablespoons butter as you whisk to thicken up the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed..
• Toss the pasta with the remaining butter and season with salt and grated Parmesan, to taste.
• Serve the pasta on plates topped with the veal. Drizzle with caper sauce and garnish with the remaining parsley.

CHICKEN PICCATA

Steps:

• Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in flour and shake off any excess.
• In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons butter and the olive oil over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, add the chicken and sauté until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
• Remove the chicken, place on a plate and repeat with the remaining pieces, adding more olive oil if needed.
• Once the chicken is cooked, add the shallot and lemon slices to the pan and sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low, then stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, capers and lemon juice, to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken with the sauce poured over the top. Garnish with parsley if desired.

LIGHT CHICKEN PICCATA WITH LINGUINE

Steps:

• Place each chicken breast half in a large zip bag, one at a time.
• Flatten to 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
• Remove from the bag, set aside and repeat with the remaining chicken breast halves.
• Combine flour, salt and pepper; dredge chicken in flour mixture.
• Heat 1 tsp butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
• Add 3/4 cup wine, 2 tbsp lemon juice and capers to pan with chicken, scraping up brown bits and cook 2 minutes.
• Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.
• Stir in 3/4 cup wine, 2 tbsp lemon juice and cook until reduced to about 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes).
• Stir in 1 tsp butter.
• Return chicken to pan and place 1/4 of the chopped parsley on top of each chicken breast half.
• Divide the pasta into 4 pasta bowls.
• Place a chicken breast half on top of each drizzle about 2 tbsp sauce over each.