Cheap And Simple Chicken Piccata

Directions

• Butterfly each chicken breast, cutting it into thinner halves across the centre.
• Place each half of the chicken breasts (now there should be four) between some heavy duty cling wrap and beat with meat mallet (a small skillet can also be used) until the meat is about 1.5cm in thickness.
• Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Keeping aside 2 tsp of plain flour for later use, empty flour into shallow dish and then coat the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess.
• Melt half of the butter (1 tbsp) into a skillet or pan on medium-high heat. Then add 1 tbsp of oil to coat the pan. Once hot, add the chicken to pan, sautéing for around 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm nearby.
• Add the rest of the oil to the pan and warm again. Then add shallots and cook for a few minutes, stirring continuously, before adding garlic and softening for one minute while stirring. If you want to add wine do so now, bringing the pan to a boil and loosening any pieces that are stuck to the base. Cook on a boil until the liquid in the pan has almost evaporated, stirring every now and again.
• In a separate dish combine the remaining 2 tsp of flour with about 1/3 cup of the chicken stock, and stir until the mixture is completely combined.
• Add the rest of the chicken stock to the pan with the wine mixture and bring to a boil. Once the sauce has reduced about half, should take 3 – 5 minutes, add the flour and stock mix. After one minute of frequent stirring, the sauce should be thickening nicely.
• Remove pan from heat and add in the rest of the butter, the lemon juice and the drained capers. Plate up the chicken and spoon the sauce over the top, serving with your choice of sides.