Chicken Piccata - A Classic Favorite!

#TimeCrunch

Chicken Piccata

Simple, Easy, Delicious.

A classic Italian dish that is perfect just the way it is. We don’t deviate too much from the traditional Italian version here. That adage “if it ain’t broke…” However I am highly aware of the awful renditions that are just horrible enough to make you steer clear…  

We’ve all had that really bad experience with a terrible Piccata, where it was too greasy, too oily, or crunchy, or just didn’t taste that great. On the other hand we will all swear by -insert your favorite experience here- and no one’s ever made it like that before. This savvy citrus sauce soaks into a slightly browned, sauteed, piece of tenderized and marinated chicken breast, leaving you craving more.  

The technique is simple, and recipe has been perfected… this is a fool’s proof, step by step, way to a 30 minute, one pan, Gourmet meal.  

This rendition should put you on the Best Ever list for everyone else to say about yours!

DIFFICULTY: Moderate $$ SERVINGS:4  TIME: 30 & marinade(time available)

Ingredients -

• 4 Chicken cutlets, or 2 Breast sliced along the width into 4.
• ½ Cup Chicken Stock

• ½ Cup dry White Wine -cooking wine
• ⅓ Cup Lemon Juice

• ½ Cup Flour, 1/4 Cup Flour
• 4 Tbsp unsalted Butter (divided in half)
• ¼ Cup Capers, drained & whole
• ¼ Cup chopped Parsley & 2 Tbsp Parsley (not together)
• ½ Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp crushed Garlic
• Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
• Salt & Pepper

Procedure

Start with the Chicken…

1. Rinse Chicken well. (slice in half lengthwise if thick.) Drain water, pat dry.

2. Line cutting board with plastic wrap.

3. Place Chicken on board, then cover with plastic wrap.
1. I wrap up the sides so raw chicken juice doesn’t escape, and easier clean up.

4. Take your Steel, or meat mallet to pound out meat (without piercing plastic) until nice and thin but still holds together well.

The Marinade…

1. 

   In large bowl combine: ½ cup Olive Oil, Garlic, 2 Tbsp Parsley, Cayenne, Salt & Pepper.
2. Place Chicken in the bowl, mix, and make sure chicken is coated. Put bowl in refrigerator until ready to cook. (10-15 minutes - can last over night it covered.)

Dredging the Chicken…

1. Put the ½ cup Flour with Salt and Pepper in a bowl.
2. Pour oil from marinade (not parsley) in a Large Skillet.
3. Sprinkle with hand, and pat in flour to lightly coat the chicken.    

Lightly coating.

Cooking The Chicken…

1. Turn Skillet on Med-High, add 2 Tbsp butter. Heat until butter foams.
2. Place Chicken in the skillet.
3. Cook 4 minutes on each side. You’re sauteing until slightly browned. You can drop your heat to Medium if chicken is browning too much, or fast.
4. Set Chicken aside.

The Sauce…

1. Delase pan: Pour the white wine in the pan.  Scrape all the sucs off the bottom of the pan, don’t worry about straining them, they’ll mostly dissolve, and add texture (& flavor) later on.
1. If for whatever reason you’re pan and sucs are burnt - discard them, clean the pan and start from there.

2. Turn heat to high. Add Chicken Stock and Lemon Juice, bring to boil and reduce by ⅓.
3. Take the 2 Tbsp Butter, and ¼ cup flour and mix together by hand forming a beurre manie

4. Once reduced, turn heat to med, and add the beurre manie to the sauce.

5. Stir until smooth and all flour is incorporated.
6. Then stir in Capers and Parsley.

7. Let sit 5 minutes to thicken and take on the flavors, stirring occasionally.
8. Then Place Chicken in the sauce. Turn off heat.

9. Let soak up the sauce on both sides for 2 minutes or until service.

*You really want to serve immediately for best sauce! It will seize rather fast, if this happens add a little bit of hot water at a time until thinned out.

Plate with pasta noodle or whatever you’d like.

Take additional sauce and top Chicken.

Or if you’re a traditionalist - after the pasta. Either way… Enjoy!

READ MORE ON MY WEBSITE

#ChickenPiccata #LemonCaperSauce #ItalianAmerican #AffordableGourmet #EasyCooking #FamilyFriendly #Pasta #CuisinArt #ChefCaylena #TimeCrunch #30MinuteMeals #EverydayGourmet

A Robust & Divine Chicken Stock

A Robust & Divine

Chicken Stock

A Simple and Cheap version anyone can do, and You’ll never buy pre-made again.

Chicken Stock is the first thing everyone should spend the time to make at home… after all there is a reason there’s a saying, “it’s Chicken Soup for the Soul,” not to mention a massive collection of books. It is as Soulful and Heartwarming as anything you will ever make and it has a ripple effect to everything it touches.

I didn’t grow up with a lot of money or food in our house. We made due where we could and ate whatever we could find. It was almost always bad and undefinable, it was certainly expired and hardly ever nutritious. However some of my fondest memories were all my brothers and sister sitting together, eating at the table on special days, where we’d have a proper meal. We were together, we laughed, talked, and devoured the food. As I’ve gotten older, I understand how wonderful and important those moments are, as well as how powerful and special a beautiful meal can mean.

This Chicken Stock is more robust, and, the most divine, I’ve ever had. It’s taken me a couple of years to get it just perfect, now, you can even savor it alone. Chicken Stock can be universally used and in substitution for both Beef - if you want more subtle, or Vegetable - if desiring more intensity (and aren’t a vegetarian of course).

I highly recommend making this when you have an extra minute- you really just let it cook itself so you can perfect it between commercial breaks or laundry loads - throw it in the freezer for up to 6 months, and you're always prepared. It will save you when everyone suddenly comes down with the flu, and you need Soup pronto - such as my Chicken Tortilla Soup - or Chicken Dumpling (which I’ll add soon). 

More so you just elevated every dish you intend to make using Stock in the future! It’s that extra factor that ‘they’ won't be able to pinpoint, but know there is something special and beautiful about your cooking.

Chicken Stock

Easy / 2-3hrs /Serving 6-7 Qts

*Note - if you make in NYC 6 qts should cost you $16-$18 from Scratch!

That’s $24 if you buy pre-made  in the store!

*The rest of the world! $$$ NICE SAVE!!! And Organic without crazy Additives!

Ingredients:

All veg are cut large and quick - you’re not eating them later.

• 3lbs chicken - rinsed, innards discarded
• 6 Celery stalks (1 medium-bunch) -(including leaves & Rib)   
• 3 Large Carrots (No need to shave just clean)
• 1 White onion  (if you have left over green onions, shallots… you can use just not Red onions)
• 1 Large or 2 Small Leeks (CLEANED very well!-it’s easier after cut)
• 2 cloves garlic - crushed
• 1 handful Parsley still whole -rinsed well
• 4 Bayleaf
• 1 Tbsp Fennel seeds
• 1 Tbsp Thyme -or handful fresh
• 5 cloves (whole, if powder - 1 tsp)
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns

**NO SALT**

EASY 10 STEP by STEP with Pictures:

1. RINSE CHICKEN WELL. Inside and out.

2) Put whole Bird in pot minus insides. Don’t worry about clipping wings off - though you can if you want to fry those up.

3)Put everything in the pot, fill to top with cold water & room for the boil.

4)Bring boil - without lid on.

5) Drop to a simmer 2 hours. Skim scum off as go. Don’t worry if Chicken is bobbing on top, just roll her over every so often.

Add water as needed, including at end.

6)Once Chicken is cooked thru, pull out. (Check on this at 1 hour if you’re planning to eat the chicken -ie soup or enchilada, so that you can cool it and shred now, otherwise leave it in.)

If you’re using your meat, you can put in freezer for 15 minutes to cool enough to take skin off and shred meat, with out melting everything in the freezer.

7) If you have time - you can let this stock go for another hour to really get the flavor of the vegetables. Or pull it when you’re ready.

8)Pull out the vegetables and discard. (easier this way than dumping.)

9)Strain the broth thru fine sieve

10)Degrease… You have two options. I do both, you can do either or…

a)if you want to use broth right away use a paper towel to pat top and pull grease off. Don’t worry about the juice, it’ll fall off, mostly the fat will stick to towel if you keep the towel on the surface.

b) if your not using right away let it cool off, chill it, and the fat will have solidified and floated. Easier to remove.

Now you’re finished! You have a gorgeous stock!

Freeze it in portions that make sense for your household. I keep them in quarts and one in the fridge but I cook everyday. I keep the ends of my parsley, carrots, onions, & celery from everything else I make, I freeze it and then -- Stock or Braised dish always ready to go, and those cents all add up!

This stock is incredibly easy to make and you can make substitutions - though I’ve made Gallons and Gallons of stock in different restaurants, and many different ways at home… this one is richer, and simply divine!

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE HERE

Chicken Souvlaki

Grilled Meat on a Skewer

This is a “foodie’s” or even Chicken lovers Wet Dream. You’ve just impressed the hell out of… well, everyone who was present for your awesomeness, including yourself!  

I am making this out of my NYC apartment… therefore ANYONE can make this at home, and good for you if you happen to have a real grill! I once made this for The Taste of Tribeca, which meant I showed up at 7 am and made 1000 on the Grill inside! Yes 1000, and Chef was outside on a BBQ Pit making another 1000! You honestly couldn’t tell which was made where with the smoky and intensity of layered flavors… all I know is people devoured that meat as if they hadn’t eaten in a month! They couldn’t get enough and we sold out long before the event was over.  I had to call Chef and tell him to fire up some more! Thankfully our restaurant was only 2 blocks away.

Chicken Souvlaki &  Rice Pilaf , topped with Sperma

Prep Time: 1 hr & Marinate 3hrs + Difficulty: Intermediate   Cook time: depends

This really is a fairly easy dish, it’s so robust and beautiful, it simply takes time and patience to do it right.

Ingredients:

• 4 Chicken Breast  = approx 12 Skewers  
• Salt - You’ll season after you’ve threaded the chicken onto skewers.

*Don’t mix dark meat in… you’ll hate yourself trying to cook evenly.

Marinade: this is an outline, if you’re making a ton of chicken, then more oil and a bit more herbs, you don’t need to be verbatim here.

Olive Oil - to cover

4 Garlic cloves - crushed

3 sprigs Thyme

3 sprigs Oregano - plucked & rough chop

2 sprigs Rosemary

3 sprigs Parsley

Salt & Pepper  - Generous amount

*Note you can use the herbs from Sperma in addition to if you made that today.

Sperma: The recipe is easy to follow and slightly different than your Marinade, but it’s essential and what makes the dish… again this is all about the deep intense layers of flavor. (Click on link for recipe)

What You’ll NEED:

• Skewers
• Grill Pan (obviously not if you’re lucky to have a Grill!)
• Tongs
• Paper towels
• Olive or Veg oil for the Grill (pan)
• If making massive amount covered sheet pan or plate if not
• Serious appetite! *Or Self control!*

Start with the marinade…

Cut the chicken into 1” by 2” or what you feel comfortable with. They shouldn’t be much smaller because they’ll burn and dry out. Ideally they should all be the same size.

Leaving excess fat and thin pieces aside.

Toss in the marinade and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours… if you can marinate over night… You’ll do the dance of Joy when you finally eat!

I find it easier to line everything in foil, especially when dealing with meat or large batches of things because you just throw it away when done and the clean up is much easier.

Next...

I use 4 pieces and serve 2 skewers to adults, but do what you’d like.

Read the recipe below to see if you are going to need to preheat your oven. If so, now’s the time… *375.

Oil your pan and get it as hot as possible!

Open your windows, turn the hood fan on high, and turn your smoke detector (temporarily) off!

Don’t forget to season each skewer before it goes on the fire!

Once you put your Chicken down let it work without touching, or it will stick to the pan and start to crumble # a mess.

*If you’re working on a grill pan over the stove top, you want to flip it both long wise and rotate after they’ve started to color because of hot spots. Though this isn’t going to take time at all so you never want to leave especially because you’re inside! This is going to go much faster than you think.

**If you’re serving at a later time, cook just enough to color on all sides, pull off and we’ll toss in the oven when you’re ready. (I’ll explain below.)

Stand back from the Grill…

SPERMA! This is going to keep them juicy and flavorful… layers upon layers!

The smoke is going to add a gorgeous dimension

Watch out for the flame and stand back.

This meat is bursting with juice if you’ve followed the recipe, but if the fire freaks you out or the smoke is overwhelming… You’re finished here. Take the meat off the fire, and finish the same way as if you were serving the masses or at a later time.

When serving amass amount, you’re obviously going to have to work in batches. You really need to make sure the meat is cooked all the way through which is difficult in that situation, which is why the oven is a better option to finish, as well to make sure their all hot when you serve. At this point you’re taking the meat off the fire after desired color. Put it on a baking sheet and finish it in the oven *375 for 5-8 minutes… pending on how far you’ve cooked it.

More Sperma!

Now go bask in your awesomeness and let the praise come in.