Andi became known for her baking while attending Copenhagen International School because she prepared batches of homemade cookies and sold them to the CIS community nearly every week of her IB2 year. She took the proceeds and donated about $1,000.00 to Brains for Autism. This donation was matched by Microsoft, making her total donation about $2,000.00. She tried all sorts of complicated baking projects, including the nightmare “Whoopie Pie” recipe, which is similar to a huge, homemade Oreo cookie. Although she can rival any baker out there, she claims that she “can’t cook”. Problem with that is that I have tasted her Chicken Piccata…let me tell you that it is wonderfully light and truly a pleasure to eat.
2 split boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup flour
1 extra-large egg
½ Tbsp. water
¾ cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
Olive oil
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), halves reserved
½ cup dry white wine
Sliced lemon for serving
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving
Small to medium capers (Andi doesn’t like to use the parsley or the capers, so we sprinkle these on the individual plates as people like them…and like I always say, “If it doesn’t have the capers, it’s not Chicken Piccata!”)**
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
On a cutting board covered with plastic wrap, pound each chicken breast, covered with another plastic wrap piece to ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
In a shallow plate (I use a pie plate), mix the flour, ½ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper. In a second plate, beat the egg and ½ Tbsp. water together. Place the breadcrumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken piece in the flour, shake off excess, then dip into the egg and then the bread crumbs.
Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in large sauté 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 bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.
Sauce:
Wipe out the sauté pan with a dry paper towel. Over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, ½ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add remaining 2 Tbsp. 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 and capers. Andi serves this dish with angel hair pasta. Delish!
**Chicken Piccata always reminds me of the time I went to an Autism Conference in Houston with my good friend, Shelby Campos. She ordered the Chicken Piccata at a very authentic Italian restaurant that we found and requested that the capers be omitted. The waiter refused, telling her that if she could see the cook (VERY portly with a short fuse), she would understand why he couldn’t go back to the kitchen with such a ridiculous request. Shelby finally relented after a formidable argument with the waiter. They agreed that the chef would never find out that she wasn’t having capers on her Chicken Piccata and she happily scraped them off once the dish arrived at our table!
At the same restaurant, the same unique waiter advised a nearby diner to have what I ordered (a steak with fresh asparagus). The two discussed my plate and stared at it longingly. Finally I said, “Do you want a bite?”(Clearly expecting the answer to be “No, thank you”). The fellow diner replied that he would like it if I wasn’t going to finish it and he went on to tell me how I had left the “best part of the asparagus spear”. I was a little amazed as I watched the guy snarf down the rest of my meal! And in case you are wondering…NO! I didn’t know him!!!
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