Capers are interesting little critters. Though they look like a small green pea, they are actually flower buds picked from a shrub-like bush. Then they are sun-dried, brined and packed in salt. The little fellows are fairly pricey since they have to be picked by hand. They are grown in California and Asia, parts of Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. The tasty buds are the stars of the show in all Picatta dishes. Capers are often used in fish and chicken recipes as well as tasty additions to salads.
Last week, I tried my hand at Chicken Picatta – with lots of capers – and it turned out well.
Most recipes for Chicken Picatta suggest pounding the chicken breasts into cutlets, but I didn’t. I found a couple of fat, juicy breasts, boned them myself and removed the skin and cooked them whole.
Here’s how I did it.
Put lots of kosher salt and pepper in a half cup of flour. Moisten the breast portions, drag them through the flour mixture and sauté to a crispy brown in 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Remove from the pan and place in a casserole dish.
Add a cup of chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Next, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 4 tablespoons capers, 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon) and 2 more tablespoons of butter. Once hot and bubbly, pour the sauce over the chicken, spreading the capers evenly.
Cook in a 350 oven for 20 minutes. This is a relatively easy entree to prepare and sure to please friends or family.
And the next time you bake or broil seafood, toss in a few capers.
Chicken Picatta (serves two)
2 chicken breasts, boned and skinless
½ C flour
Salt & pepper
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
1 C chicken stock
1 lemon juiced
4 T capers
2 T additional butter