Bright.

It’s been unusually grey here in the mountain west. When its gloomy, I hunker down and typically make a good soup. Not this time. I wanted something I adore that brought the brightness of its own. A bit of sunshine of flavors in my kitchen. And in my mouth.

I give you Chicken Piccata with Artichokes.

Beauty Shot:

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts

4 tsp brined capers, drained

1 Shallot sliced thinly lengthwise (I did not have a shallot this time-so used a red onion. Sliced from top to bottom. Not across. Only used a “side”)

1/2 a lemon sliced thinly across

Juice from half a lemon (use the other half)

Jar of artichokes, not marinated, patted dry and halved or quartered

Olive oil for frying

5 T butter

1/4 C dry white wine

1/2 C chicken stock or broth

Flour for dusting chicken

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh dill for garnish

Putting it Together:

Trim off exterior fat from chicken breast. Slice the chicken breasts horizontally so that each breast becomes two portions.

Pour flour onto plate and dredge both sides of each piece of chicken. Shake off any excess.

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In large fry pan, add olive oil and 3 T of butter to pan. When shimmering, add in chicken. DO NOT CROWD THE PAN! You will have to work in batches. Brown each side. May take 3-4 minutes per side. Remove to warm plate. You may need to add in additional olive oil to saute the chicken.

To pan, add in lemon slices, artichokes and shallot. Stirring a few times, cook till shallot is translucent and some carmelization begins to show on the lemons and artichokes. Add in stock, lemon juice and wine. Stir up the brown bits into sauce. Simmer till sauce reduces to coat a spoon. Add in capers. Add in remaining 2 T of butter. Salt and pepper to taste.

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Place the chicken on plates platter. Top with the sauce. Serve with a simple green salad and crusty bread. The crusty bread is perfection for sopping up every bit of sauce on your plate.

Enjoy!

Terri