Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata

I'm on a bit of a chicken kick.

 

...as in I have eaten chicken every night for dinner this week.  As in there are going to be a lot of posts on the blog about chicken in January.  As in I even let The Hubby drag me to Swiss Chalet this weekend for the first time in my life (my mom says this is a lie and that I went once as a kid too...must have blocked it out) and ate all of the following:  1/4 chicken (dark meat) with a side of Chalet sauce, 1/3 rack BBQ ribs, side of cole slaw, extra-large side of poutine (I knooooooow) with Chalet sauce instead of gravy (keeping it gluten-free even at times like these), and a glass of white wine.


Meyer Lemons.  I was excited when I saw them at the grocery store the other day, and decided to buy my first bag.

"I'm sweet and tart."

The bag says, "I'm sweet and tart," which made me smile and think that the lemons I was about to buy had a bit of a personality.  Which is true because Meyer Lemons are a sweeter and less acidic version of a regular lemon, that some might describe as a cross between a regular lemon and a mandarin orange.  They are also much rounder than a regular lemon, with more of a mandarin orange shape.  They add a sweeter lemon flavour than a normal lemon would, giving you less of that sour-pucker-face when you eat one.  They are only available in the winter where I live, and I've been wanting to try them.

Off to the internet I went to find a Meyer Lemon recipe.  I'm not much a sweet tooth, and there were plenty of posts for lemon pudding, lemonade, lemon pie, etc, but I stopped searching when I found an amazing looking Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata recipe from Cooking Light.  The light cooking part was an afterthought, but a nice little perk since I GAINED SEVEN POUNDS OVER THE HOLIDAYS.  Seven.  Three pounds higher than the 'anywhere less than but not equal to five' that I was going for.  Also, I ate Skittles for lunch yesterday.  Like two sentences ago I just finished saying how I'm not a sweet tooth...what is WRONG with me right now?  Let's just say that many of my new year's resolutions are already broken.

Anyways, I made the chicken, and not only was it very quick to make (this chicken itself only takes three minutes), but it also looked and tasted delicious.  The Hubby ate all of the leftovers when I was at work the next day, so I had to make it again last night so that I could have a second helping of it.  This is a keeper recipe.  Although Meyer Lemons are only available in the winter-time, you can make this recipe year-round by substituting the Meyer Lemon juice with 3 parts regular lemon juice and 1 part orange juice.

               
Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 (8 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/3 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1/3 cup white wine (a crisp, tart wine, such as a sauvignon blanc)
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed Meyer Lemon juice (about 2 - 3 lemons)
• 2 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

The Hubby = Meyer Lemon Juicer Extraordinaire

Directions
Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally to form 4 cutlets.  Place each cutlet on a cutting board between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic, and pound each cutlet to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.  Sprinkle cutlets evenly with salt and pepper.  Place flour in a shallow dish, and dredge the cutlets in flour (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour).

I tried to find a smaller cutting board.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 cutlets to the pan, and saute for 2 minutes.

Turn cutlets over, and saute for another minute.  Remove the cutlets from pan.  Repeat the procedure with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 cutlets, and remove from pan.

Add wine to the pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Cook for 1 minute, or until liquid almost evaporates.  Stir in chicken broth, and bring to a boil.

Cook until broth mixture is reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 4 minutes).  Stir in Meyer Lemon juice and capers.  Serve over chicken.  Sprinkle with parsley.  Enjoy!

Recipe Source: Cooking Light

 

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