What's cooking this weekend.

Asiago crusted chicken piccata

Chicken piccata is a classic Italian dish of thin chicken breast, lightly breaded with flour and cooked to a golden brown, the served with a zesty lemon reduction sauce. Chicken piccata is something I’ve made dozens of times, with some practice it’s not a terribly difficult dish to make. As everyone knows practice makes perfect and I must admit, this may have been the best rendition of chicken piccata yet. With that said, I’ll confess that part of it was almost by ‘accident’.

I had initially planned to make the usual dish that our family is so fond of, however I’m not the type to leave well enough alone. I had just came home from the grocery store with a gigantic wedge of Asiago cheese. The Asiago cheese was on sale that day and I may have gone a little overboard. I only really needed about a half cup for a side dish that I was making to go with the chicken piccata but instead I had about two and a half pounds.  I cut the cheese in to neat smaller wedges and wrapped some up for storage. With a good half pound of cheese left out for dinner I got down to business and started shredding. What I ended up with was mountain of shredded Asiago minus what the mice took (see: small children who wont leave daddy’s cheese alone). It was about then I thought to improvise a bit and cover the chicken breasts with cheese. I wasn’t quite sure how the flavors would combine on the plate but I had the extra cheese and I can be a bit fearless in the kitchen at times, I’ll try any food once.

I pounded out my chicken, dusted them with fresh pepper and grabbed a hand full of cheese and pressed it in firm. Next, I put a thin dusting of flour on top just enough so the cheese wouldn’t stick to my fingers while moving it to the pan. Two chicken breasts went down in the pan and my stomach dropped a bit as I still wasn’t sure how this would come out. After a few minutes it was time to turn the chicken and to my delight the crust was perfect. Everything went smooth after that, one breast after another.

The moment of truth came when it was time  to taste the final dish. Again I was rather surprised at how well it turned out. It’s not every time “I wonder what would happen if?” turns out to be one of the best decisions, but this time it did. The cheese crust had a nice nutty flavor that was pronounced by the lemons and capers in the sauce. The family agreed and we probably wont eat chicken piccata the same way again. While I wouldn’t consider this recipe to be traditional chicken piccata, it’s going to be our tradition from now on.

WHAT TO BUY:

A wedge of Asiago cheese for shredding. Don’t buy shredded cheese because there are anti-caking ingredients added to shredded cheeses that could effect how the cheese binds to the chicken.

Fresh lemon is also a must. While bottled lemon is good for many things, it can be a bit unpredictable and lacks the same bright flavor. Since the sauce really makes chicken piccata the dish that it is, be as picky as possible when it comes to the ingredients you choose to go in the sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 – 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 cup of Asiago cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp flour + extra for dusting
• 2 tbsp minced shallots
• 1 lemon juiced, zest reserved
• 3 tbsp white wine (I used Sherry)
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp capers, lightly chopped
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil, to coat the pan

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Start by pounding the chicken breasts to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch.
2. If the chicken breasts are large, cut them in half after they are pounded.
3. Preheat a pan to medium to medium high heat depending on your equipment this may vary, about 350′F.
4. As the pan heats, prepare only enough chicken to cook one batch. This will help the ingredients stick to the chicken and ensure a golden crust forms. Lightly dust the chicken with fresh pepper on both sides. Next, cover the chicken with grated Asiago cheese and apply pressure. Sprinkle the coated chicken lightly with flour this helps prevent the cheese from sticking to your fingers.
5. When the pan is ready coat the pan with olive oil and place the chicken in the pan.
6. To get the best crust possible avoid moving the chicken until it is ready to turn. The chicken should cook for about 3 minutes before it needs to be turned. If the chicken does not release from the pan, allow it to set for another 30 seconds and try again. The food will release it self when it’s ready. Continue to cook the chicken on the other side for about 3 minutes. If you are working in batches you can begin coating the next batch while the first batch cooks.
7. When all batches are complete reduce the heat to low. You may need to remove the pan from the stove for a moment to allow the pan to cool. If there is an excess of oil in the pan you can discard it, but try to discard only the oil and not any of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
8. Place the minced shallot in the pan with 2 tablespoons of butter and cook on low until they become translucent. Add the wine and lemon juice to the pan and deglaze removing as much of the brown bits as possible.
9. Cook for about one minute and add the flour, then cook for an additional minute. (for a thinner more traditional sauce omit this step)
10. Next, increase the temperature to high and add the chicken stock slowly while whisking.
11. Add the capers then bring the sauce to a boil. Once a boil is reached reduce the temperature until you reach a simmer.
12. Allow the sauce to reduce by about half, or until the sauce reaches the desired thickness.
13. Remove from heat and add the remaining tablespoon of butter.
14. Check for taste, add salt and pepper if needed.
15. Plate the chicken with a generous amount of sauce and top with lemon zest.