My daughter's favorite chicken dish.
- Carbohydrate 30.8697250042114 g
- Cholesterol 142.28 mg
- Fat 18.117715 g
- Fiber 0.550550007478887 g
- Protein 59.4969750001854 g
- Saturated Fat 3.307567 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (519g)
- Sodium 738.811500000488 mg
- Sugar 30.3191749967326 g
- Trans Fat 1.3107855 g
- Calories 529 calories
Step-by-step
- Cover chicken with plastic wrap and pound chicken breast to 1/4 inch, sprinkle with salt and pepper; dredge in flour
- In large skillet warm on med-high olive oil and margarine until sizzeling stops; turn down to med and brown chicken on both sides. Keep temp fairly hot but not splattering all over. You want to seal the chicken and keep all the juices in.
- Remove to platter and keep warm in oven at 200
- Remove pan from burner to cool a bit; return to burner on low/med and deglaze pan with chicken stock, scrapping the bottom of the skillet, add lemon juice, parsley, and capers; simmer for 5-10 minutes more
- Can add wondra to make a thicker sauce if desired
- Pour sauce over chicken and serve
Standard ingredient lists omit the physical transformation required to turn raw poultry into a pan-seared cutlet with a glossy pan sauce. Pounding chicken breasts to an even quarter-inch thickness ensures the meat cooks uniformly before the exterior burns in the skillet. Controlling the heat during the initial sear prevents the flour coating from scorching while retaining internal moisture. When olive oil and margarine reach the point where bubbling subsides, the fat is hot enough to promote browning without boiling the meat.
Deglazing the skillet requires removing the pan from the burner briefly to lower the temperature before adding chicken stock and lemon juice. Scraping the bottom of the pan incorporates browned fond into the liquid, acting as a natural emulsifier for the sauce. Capers and parsley introduce contrasting salinity and herbaceous freshness that balance the heavy concentration of citrus acid.
Modifying this dish for dairy restrictions or alternative dietary needs involves understanding how binders and fats interact. Using oil alone rather than a blend changes the smoke point and flavor profile of the sear, while starches like Wondra or standard flour thicken the reduced liquid by gelatinizing starches as simmering water evaporates over five to ten minutes.
