A TALE OF TWO (OR THREE) CHICKENS – PICCATA AND PARM

Whenever I see chicken piccata or chicken parmesan on a menu I’m tempted to order it because (a) it’s delicious and (b) I don’t have to cook it myself. The reason being, anytime I see a recipe that begins with “make a 3-part breading station and pound your chicken with a mallet to 1/4” thickness” I’m out. Nothing about that sounds appealing to me. That was until I made Half-Baked Harvest’s Chicken Saltimbocca which taught me you don’t need 3 breading stations, you can make it work with 2. And I discovered chicken cutlets which eliminates the need to pound out chicken breasts. I find them at Whole Foods and Wegmans.

This recipe is easy, it’s make ahead and you can take this in several different directions other than the two I mention here. You could follow the chicken saltimbocca recipe I mention above, or you could eliminate the sauce and just call it Chicken Milanese. Whenever I make this I cook enough chicken to prepare the Chicken Parmesan which I store in a disposable pan and save for another day either in the fridge or freezer and then I make the Piccata to serve right away. This cooks in minutes making it a great dish for entertaining.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6-8 chicken cutlets*
• 3 large eggs
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• kosher salt & pepper
• 3 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup olive oil

For Piccata:

• 2 tbsp. drained capers
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small dice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• juice from 1/2 lemon, or more to taste
• flake salt

For Chicken Parm:

• jarred marinara sauce, such as Mezzetta
• fresh or packaged slices of mozzarella
• finely grated parmesan cheese
• fresh basil for garnish, optional

*NOTE: You can adjust the quantity of cutlets to suit what you’re planning to make, but I highly recommend making more than you need because both of these dishes keep in the fridge for a couple of days or freeze well, so you’re getting a two for one situation here.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make two breading stations for the chicken. In one shallow bowl or container combine the eggs, 2 tbsp. of water, a big pinch of kosher salt and pepper and the garlic and whisk together. In a second shallow bowl or plate combine the panko and Italian breadcrumbs. Prepare a parchment-lined sheet pan to hold the breaded chicken. Dip each cutlet in the egg mixture and let it drain off, then coat aggressively in the breadcrumbs, pressing the crumbs into the chicken with your hand. Continue to flip and press until it is thoroughly coated. Place on the prepared sheet pan and continue until all of your chicken is breaded. At this point you can cover the chicken with plastic wrap and store all day in the refrigerator.
2. When ready to prepare, let the chicken sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before you cook it. Heat a pan big enough to hold 4 cutlets without crowding over medium heat until warm. Add 1/4 cup oil and 1 tbsp. butter and heat until the butter has melted and is foaming. Add 4 cutlets and cook for just 2-3 minutes per side, adjusting the heat so that you aren’t burning the breadcrumbs before the chicken cooks. If you are making both dishes here, set the first 4 chicken cutlets in a disposable pan or baking dish and continue with the remaining chicken adding oil and butter as needed. If you have some burnt breadcrumbs, just wipe them out with a dry paper towel before adding more oil and butter.
3. For the chicken parm, spoon a couple of big spoonfuls of marinara over the top of the chicken cutlets and coat the top with the back of the spoon. You only want enough to coat the top of the chicken, you don’t want them swimming in sauce. Top each with a slice of mozzarella and some parmesan and set aside. Either store for later or you can bake the dish in the oven for about 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until the sauce is heated through and the cheese is melted. I like to finish it under the broiler just until the cheese bubbles and starts to turn brown. Garnish with basil if you want.
4. For the chicken piccata, in the same pan you used to cook the chicken, add the white wine and cook it down for a minute before adding the chicken broth, lemon juice, capers and season with kosher salt & pepper. Stir continuosly until blended and let it cook at a low simmer for a couple of minutes. Then turn off the heat and whisk in the butter, bit by bit, whisking constantly until the butter has thickened the sauce and become incorporated. At this point you want to taste the sauce to see if it needs more butter, salt, lemon, etc. If making this ahead, pack the sauce separately from the chicken and store. If serving right away, just pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with flake salt and serve.