Chicken Piccata

We love this dish! Mom gave me the recipe years ago...maybe you all have it, too. I gave up measuring at some point because I would have this or that ingredient, or not that one. You know how it is with improvising at dinner time. i've determined you really can't mess it up. You can add mushrooms or onions to this dish with good results. I've used bouillon many times when I didn't have chicken stock. We usually like more sauce than many recipes for this call for, so I often double the stock. Don't double the lemon juice, though, or it gets really sour.

Chicken Piccata

4 chicken breasts, thinly sliced, and/or pounded very thin
enough flour to dredge them in, salted and peppered to taste
butter and olive oil to saute them in (about 5 T. of each, you may get by with less)

Cook the chicken in the oil for a few minutes per side until browned. (Each side takes about 3 minutes on med-high heat.) Put cooked chicken aside on a platter.

To the pan add:

1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup drained and rinsed capers

Bring to a boil and scrape up browned bits in pan. Add cooked chicken back to pan. Turn heat to low and simmer for about 5 more minutes until heated through. Add 1/3 cup chopped parsley before serving.

Pasta loving Anna likes angel hair with this. Will likes rice with saucy things. I like garlic mashed potatoes or even roasted potatoes. (Sir Edmund Halley's serves it with those, yum!) It's also great with polenta, but I rarely think far enough ahead to make that. Mama Ricotta's used to serve it with polenta and asparagus. I've made this with chopped leftover chicken before, too. It's good. A little white wine added to the sauce is yummy, and it smells even better. Haven't tried it with mushrooms and tofu, but i'm thinking it would work...especially with polenta.