Chicken Piccata

One of my favorite after-work meals is chicken piccata. It's so easy to make, both of my kids learned how to make it when they were in their teens. It's so quick to make, I can have the entire meal on the table in about 20 minutes. Seriously. Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Heat up 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Pound out the boneless, skinless chicken breasts to an even thickness. (I place the chicken breast in a large Ziploc and pound away.) Put some flour seasoned with a little salt & pepper in a dish, and dredge the chicken in the flour. Place the dredged chicken in the skillet, squeezing 1/2 a lemon over all the chicken. When the first side has browned, turn the chicken over to brown the other side, squeezing the other 1/2 of the lemon over the browned chicken. (At some point here, put the pasta in the boiling water and cook until al dente.) When the chicken has finished browning on both sides, remove to platter and keep warm. Add approximately 1/2 cup of white wine and let reduce by half. Add 2 tablespoons of capers. Spoon sauce over chicken and drained pasta.

As a side, I minced a clove of garlic and sauteed in olive oil, adding grape tomatoes, cooking until they start to pop. To serve, garnish with chopped fresh basil.

Dinner is done!!