Lemon Caper Chicken Piccata

Steps

1. Slice (how to slice)

   Slice Cut food into flat pieces of the same thickness. 1. Give round food a flat side to sit on.2. Hold it with your fingertips curled under.3. Cut with long strokes, pushing the knife forward and down rather than straight down.4. Move your guiding hand back the same distance each time so every slice matches. Done when: The slices are even. For meat, slicing across the grain (across the lines of muscle) gives the tenderest bite. Safety: Keep the fingertips of your guiding hand curled under, knuckles toward the blade, and set the board on a damp towel so it can't slide. Slice hot roasts on a board with a groove for the juices.How to slice evenly: mistakes to avoid

   each breast in half horizontally to make 4 thin cutlets.
2. Lay the cutlets between sheets of plastic wrap and

   pound (how to pound thin)

   Pound thin Flatten meat to an even thickness so it cooks quickly and evenly. 1. Put the meat between two sheets of plastic wrap or in a zip-top bag with the air pressed out.2. Start in the thickest part and hit it with the flat side of a meat mallet, a rolling pin or a small heavy pan.3. Work outward, pushing as much as hitting, so it spreads instead of tearing.4. Stop when it is the thickness the recipe asks for all over. Done when: The piece is the same thickness edge to edge, usually ¼ to ½ inch, with no holes. Safety: Raw meat, poultry and fish juices carry germs: use a separate board, wash your hands and tools after, and cook to a safe temperature checked with a thermometer.How to pound chicken and cutlets thin: mistakes to avoid

   them with a meat mallet to an even 1/4 inch thick.
3. Season (how to season to taste)

   Season to taste Add salt (and pepper or acid) bit by bit, tasting as you go, until the food tastes fully of itself. 1. Season meat and vegetables before cooking, holding the salt high so it falls evenly.2. Taste the dish near the end with a clean spoon.3. If it tastes flat, add a pinch of salt, stir and taste again.4. If it tastes heavy or dull, a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar brightens it.5. Stop when another pinch wouldn't make it better. Done when: The flavors are clear and bright, not flat and not salty. Safety: Don't taste dishes that hold raw meat, poultry or eggs; season them by the recipe's amounts and adjust after cooking.How to season to taste: mistakes to avoid

   the cutlets with the salt and pepper. Put the flour in a shallow bowl.
4. Press each cutlet into the flour on both sides and shake off the extra.
5. Heat the oil and 1 tbsp butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until the butter stops foaming.
6. Cook the cutlets (in two batches if needed) until golden on the first side.
   ⏱ Side 1: 3 min
7. Flip and cook until golden and 165°F (74°C) in the center. Move them to a plate.
   165°F⏱ Side 2: 2 min 30 sec
8. Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic to the pan. Stir until fragrant.
   ⏱ Garlic: 30 sec
9. Pour in the broth, wine and lemon juice and

   scrape up the browned bits (how to deglaze)

   Deglaze Pour liquid into a hot pan and scrape up the browned bits stuck to the bottom, which hold a lot of flavor. 1. After browning, pour off all but a spoonful of fat.2. With the pan still hot, pour in wine, broth or water; it will sizzle and steam.3. Scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon or flat spatula until the brown layer dissolves.4. Let it bubble down, as the recipe says, into the base of a sauce. Done when: The bottom of the pan is clean and the liquid has turned brown and tasty. Safety: Take the pan off the flame before pouring in wine or spirits, and turn your face away from the steam.How to deglaze a pan: mistakes to avoid

   .

   Simmer (how to simmer)

   Simmer Cook liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles breaking the surface now and then. 1. Bring the liquid up over medium-high heat.2. As soon as bubbles rise steadily, turn the heat down.3. Adjust until only a few small bubbles break the surface every second or two.4. Stir now and then and check that it hasn't crept back to a boil. Done when: You see lazy, small bubbles, not a rolling boil. A "bare" simmer has just a bubble here and there. Safety: Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to simmer: mistakes to avoid

   until

   reduced (how to reduce)

   Reduce Simmer a liquid uncovered so water steams off and the flavor and body get stronger. 1. Use a wide pan; more surface means faster reducing.2. Bring the liquid to a lively simmer, uncovered.3. Stir now and then and scrape the sides back in.4. Look at the level against the pan, or dip a spoon to check thickness.5. Salt at the end, since salt gets stronger as it reduces. Done when: The level has dropped by the amount the recipe says, and it is glossy and coats a spoon. How to reduce a sauce: mistakes to avoid

   by about a third.
   ⏱ Reduce: 3 min
10. Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the capers, then swirl in the cold butter a piece at a time until the sauce turns creamy.
11. Return the chicken to the pan, turn it in the sauce and sprinkle with parsley. Serve right away.

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Tips

• Swirling in cold butter off the heat keeps the sauce from separating.
• Serve over thin pasta, rice or with green beans.
• Use a separate cutting board for raw poultry, and wash hands, boards and knives in hot soapy water after handling it. Don't rinse raw chicken; it only spreads germs around the sink.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container within 2 hours, up to 3 days. Reheat until hot all the way through (165°F).

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage. In season: lemons (December to April).