Description
Chicken piccata based on Alton Brown’s recipe from Alton Brown: EveryDayCook (pg. 117).
Ingredients
- 3 oz white wine
- 4 oz chicken broth
- 1 lemon, half of it sliced into 8 thin slices, the other half juiced to get 1 1/2 Tbsp juice
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 C A.P. flour
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 3 Tbsp capers, drained—not rinsed
- 2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley for serving
Instructions
- Combine the stock, wine, and lemon juice in a container. Set aside.
- Season the chicken thighs with pepper and 1 tsp of salt.
- Put the cup of flour in a gallon-size sturdy zip-top bag.
- Add one chicken thigh to the bag and toss it around to coat. Lay the bag on its side on a sturdy work surface and press most of the air out, sealing the top.
- Pound the chicken out flat in the bag with the flour. Turn it over at least once during the pounding. Aim for about 1/4″ thick.
- Remove the flattened meat from the bag and add another thigh and repeat until all the thighs are flattened.
- Heat a large skillet that has a lid over high heat. Add 1 Tbsp of the oil to the pan and temp it with a Thermapen or an IR thermometer. It should be about 375°F (191°C). Add 1 Tbsp butter to the pan.
- As the butter foam subsides, put four of the flattened thighs into the pan and cook on each side for about 1.5–2 minutes, until nicely browned.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil and another tablespoon of butter to the pan and cook the remaining four thighs. Remove them from the pan as well.
- Add your thinly sliced mushrooms to the hot pan and cook with the remaining teaspoon of salt until they just start to brown.
- Move the mushrooms aside and add the capers to the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, then stir together with the mushrooms.
- Put all the chicken back in the pan. It will need to overlap. Top with the lemon slices.
- Pour in the stock/wine/lemon juice mixture, turn the heat down to low, and put a tight lid on the pan.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, then start checking doneness with your Thermapen. When the chicken pieces reach at least 175°F (79°C)—or up to 195°F (91°C)—remove them to a serving platter, discarding the lemon slices.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan and turn the heat up to bring the sauce to a boil. Boil the sauce to thicken it, stirring, until it is saucy and clings to the back of a spoon.
- Spoon the sauce, capers, and mushrooms onto the piccata and serve. It goes great on a pile of buttery egg noodles, a mound of steamed rice, or, for full decadence, a waiting pool of risotto. It’s also amazing on its own!
