Fantabulous Food! Chicken Piccata

This is one of our favorite family dishes and definitely my favorite recipe by Giada de Laurantiis :) All of her recipes are delicious, but this one in particular is so simple and tasty that I go back to it over and over. This recipe comes from her book Everyday Italian, which I highly recommend picking up - it's a great book full of very simple yet classic Italian dishes. I use it all the time!

Chicken Piccata - Giada de Laurentiis

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Flour for dredging
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used the Filippo Berio sent to me by Bzz Agent)
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup drained capers, rinsed
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. First of all, you need to make sure all your chicken is prepped and the fat is cut off. In a large sauté pan, melt 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat.

2. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Spread flour on a plate or shallow dish and dredge the chicken in the flour - this means to coat all of the chicken in a light layer of flour. Turn and make sure all areas are coated.

3. Add dredged chicken to the butter and evoo and cook just until brown, at least 3 minutes on each side. You don't want the chicken to cook completely, just get a nice brown color.

While the chicken is cooking, I use the opportunity to rinse the capers and juice the lemons.

Once the chicken is browned, use tongs to remove it from the pan and set it aside on a plate.

4. Add lemon juice, capers, and chicken broth to the pan. Bring to a boil while scraping the butter and chicken bits up from the bottom of the pan.

5. Add chicken back to sauce and simmer until chicken is cooked through.

The sauce will thicken and reduce to become a thick, buttery liquid. It should be thick enough to coat the chicken lightly. Again, remove the chicken with tongs and place on a plate.

6. Melt 2 tbsp butter in the sauce and whisk until smooth. If the sauce has reduced too much, add a little more chicken broth and whisk.

You want to get a nice and even sauce :)

7. Serve chicken with sauce on top :) I like to put it over pasta like fettuccine and it becomes a whole meal.

Like I said, this is one of our top 5 family favorite meals. It is zesty and interesting, but also filling and savory at the same time :)