Friday Night Special

I'm blogging on my food blog while watching "Julie and Julia" - is the world going to explode?

After a week of ho-hum grilled chicken, what fun to turn up the volume (nod to Ina) and make chicken piccata. This recipe comes from a really fun cookbook that my in-laws picked up on vacation.

Chicken piccata

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, patted dry (2.5 to 3 pounds total)

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 T. olive oil

4 T. unsalted butter

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. capers, drained

2 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cover the chicken breasts with a piece of plastic wrap and, using a meat pounder, flatten each breast to an even 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour and shake off any excess.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the chicken and cook until golden brown on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the chicken and brown the other side, 1 to 2 minutes. When done, remove the chicken from the pan, sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper and set aside.

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice and capers, scraping up any brown bites and pieces left from the chicken. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.

Return the chicken to the pan, turn the heat to medium, and heat for 1 minute. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

This movie is really delightful by the way. Is it coincidence that Jeremy and I received our passports in the mail today and the movie scenes of Paris are so charming?