chicken piccata

My dad and I have a special relationship; according to him, I mooch off of all of his recipes, and "have some nerve!" I forgot to give him credit for his tuna and beans (which, a year later, he has yet to stop reminding me)... so I will say this; my dad can take full credit for this dish. And boy, once I have a bite (or two) of it I have no shame in admitting it.

This week, my mom misread her online shopping-cart and accid

entally overdosed on chicken breasts from Fresh Direct, realizing only when she was opening the package that she ordered 3 times as much as she intended. Ergo, my dad's pork piccata becomes chicken piccata. And boy, do I hope you guys like chicken, because we have enough to feed a family of 4 (or easily just us two girls) and a whole bookshelf full of cookbooks.

This dish is like a kicked-up, lighter version of chicken piccata with a more fresh tasting sauce than the normal dish (which we happily scraped from the pot until it was completely bare). I was convinced that I overcooked the chicken (skinless, boneless chicken breasts-which I have a habit of drying out) and was completely surprised to find it be the moistest chicken breast I have ever had. Foolproof? I think so. Delicious? Oh. My. God.

I licked the plate. Must I go on?

Chicken Piccata

Adapted from Cooking Light's original pork piccata

1/3 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cup fat free, less sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped shallots (I used onions, as that was what was on hands. Both ways work fabulously)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided

2 teaspoons capers

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove chicken from pan. Reduce heat to medium.*

Add shallots to pan; cook 30 seconds. Stir in broth and juice, scraping pan to loosen the browned bits. Stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley, capers, rind, and pepper; simmer 1 minute. Return chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle chicken with 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley.

My chicken cutlets were thick and ended up taking longer to cook all the way through. However long it takes, just make sure they aren't raw because this is the extent of their cooking.

roasted chicken

You've probably all been expecting it, but I've been swept up in this whole Julia Child epidemic. Don't tell me you didn't see it coming.

Despite the fact that I had never read either of the books that Julie & Julia is based on, I walked out of the movie raving. A day later I bought Julia Child's cookbook. A week later, still trying to contain my excitement, I went shopping for the ingredients for her Boeuf Bourguignon. The next day, they went into the freezer (however much I argued otherwise, my mom insisted that it was "not 90 degree weather food").

A few days ago, I went shopping in Bed Bath and Beyond, which is quite a dangerous thing to do when armed with a 20% off coupon and an inspiration level that could kill. I walked out with a new loaf pan, measuring cups, a serrated knife, a bamboo mat, and who knows what else. I think some sort of wooden paddle was also involved.

More to the point, we ate, or scarfed down, Julia Child's roasted chicken yesterday, which was delicious. I decided to cook on a whim and was quite disappointed at, to be frank, the lack of an excessive quantity of butter. Was there a typo in my book? Had I misread two tablespoons for two sticks? After this minor setback, the most trouble I had was preventing the chicken from bouncing around in the oven while trying to keep it balanced on its side with only a small fork in hand (a threat to both the bird's appearance, and my patience). It may not be the prettiest, but this was the best bird we've ever eaten. Next time, though, I'll be doing some damage to my butter supply.

You can find the recipe here-

Julia Child's Poulet Roti [Roasted Chicken]