Chicken Piccata with Artichoke
Lake Como, Italy
This simple recipe is a twist on the popular Italian dish that is commonly made with veal, lemon, wine and capers
- 2 chicken breast halves, skinless, boneless
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup flour, for dredging
- 4 tbsp butter, divided
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup white wine or chicken stock
- ½ cup marinated artichokes, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
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Remove the small filet section from the breasts then slice the breast halves horizontally to “butterfly” them open. If they are large breasts, you may opt to cut them into two pieces for easier handling. It they are thick, you’ll want to pound them to about ¼ inch thickness with a mallet between two pieces of parchment or plastic wrap.
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Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
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In a large high rimmed plate, combine the flour, and cheese.
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Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off excess flour.
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Heat 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet at medium heat.
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Cook the chicken in the pan for 3 minutes per side, (this may be done in batches) remove from the pan and place in a covered dish.
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Add the wine (or stock), lemon juice and artichoke to the pan, stir and reduce by half.
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Stir in 2 tbsp of butter, return the chicken pieces to the pan to reheat them and coat them with the sauce for about a minute. Transfer the chicken to dinner plates and top with the remaining sauce and parsley.
In Italy, this dish would be served on its own as a secondo (second plate after the pasta course). In other parts of the world it could be served as a main course with rice and vegetable sides.
