BB: Skyping the Chicken Piccata

Shamefully, it’s been a while since I’ve posted any BB recipes.  I mean, I am the group’s founder.  I should be posting every recipe.  Sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way though.   February was a long month and although I missed the Real Spaghetti and Meatballs as well as the Meringues Chantilly, I can honestly say that I’ve made the meatballs before (which are fabulous!) and have plans for the meringues in the near future.

In any event, this month’s first recipe, Chicken Piccata, as chosen by Lindsey of Noodle Nights and Muffin Mornings,  was a dish I was really looking forward to gettin’ down with.  It’s not a dish I’ve ever made or have ever eaten for that matter but it seemed like a great dish that could change up the regular ol’ chicken recipe routine a bit.

And speaking of changing things up a bit…I went virtual while making it.  Not kidding!!  In an effort to rejuvinate the Barefoot Bloggers, my new right-hand gal, Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake, and I have been coming up with ideas to coax the group into be more interactive; both with amongst the members and interactive as in using the Web to communicate in unique ways.  Our first attempt was to increase the group’s Facebook activity and although we hit a wall with posting the Musings posts there, there has definitely been some additional activity on the group’s page – yay!  The second idea was to connect and chat during the new Barefoot Contessa episodes on the Food Network.  This past Saturday, we Twittered our way through Ina’s newest episode and it was a great success!  We had about 8-10 members sending out their Tweets about the episode, their favorite Ina recipes, and their swoons over Paris.  Feedback on the event was really positive and we’ll be doing this on a weekly basis as well as during any special Barefoot Contessa episodes that air throughout the year.

And finally the coupe de gras!  Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to pilot a new mode of connectivity for the group by Skyping with BMK of Reservations Not Required while we made the chicken piccata together. That’s right, we connected via Skype, she in Texas and I in Connecticut, and we cooked the chicken piccata together! It was an awesome experience (save a few technical difficulties) and something that I’m excited to officially introduce to the group beginning with April’s recipes.  Don’t worry my dear members, I’ll post a separate post about this on the BB blog in a few weeks. 🙂 We prepped all of the ingredients prior to connecting, worked out a few kinks, and then jumped on Skype and cooked our way through the recipe.  It was wonderful way to get to know BMK a little better and have some fun while experiencing this new mode of cooking.  Cooking this way probably added a few extra minutes to the recipe between the technical difficulties and ensuring that we were both at the same point in the recipe but it was well worth it.  We both agreed that it could be a great way to push the group ahead technologically and I really feel like it could be a mode in which we can learn so much about cooking or baking techniques from other members.  The chicken piccata was a basic recipe to make together but imagine working your way through a more complicated recipe and having someone else right there to bounce your questions or ideas off of! I just want to thank BMK (who you’ll see has just about as many Ina recipes in her blog as I do in mine!) again for testing this out with me and hope that she had as good of a time Skyping with me as I did with her. 🙂

The recipe itself was a great one and a lemony one that even Kyle loved!  It was easy to prepare and was so flavorful that I’m just as excited to eat the leftovers for lunch today as I was to have dinner last night!  I was afraid the lemon was going to be too overpowering so I did cut back a wee bit on it (as I always do) and after adding a little more wine and butter to the sauce,  it was just perfect.  I ended up putting the chicken right back into the sauce after I baked it and I let the sauce cook down with the chicken for a few extra minutes, allowing the chicken to absorb a good amount of the sauce (hence the reason you see no sauce in my photos!).  I paired this fabulous chicken alongside a heaping pile (thanks to South Beach!) of sautéed broccolini which you’ll find posted here next Thursday but I could see this chicken alongside roasted, mashed, baked, or scalloped potatoes without any issues. If you’re looking for an easy and delicious new chicken recipe, you’ve got to try this one!!

Chicken Piccata

source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa at Home, pages 96-97

• 2 split (1 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 extra-large egg
• 1/2 tablespoon water
• 3/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
• Good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Sliced lemon, for serving
• Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Mix the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the egg and 1/2 tablespoon of water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.
5. For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves and serve 1 chicken breast on each plate. Spoon on the sauce and serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.