Chicken Piccata. Old School, man. Old School.

Chicken Piccata.  There’s a dish you won’t find in the cutting-edge Manhattan culinary scene.  Well, unless it’s served with caper foam, a savory lemon popsicle and parsley fairy dust.   But I’m not afraid to go Old School on you with the real deal.  Let’s bring it on.  Old School.

The Prep:

This was for a family dinner party with 11 people:

The chicken:

• 12 or more boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  Halved and lightly pounded flat with meat mallet.  “Paillards.”
• Marinate overnight in salted water.  I used some chicken stock too.  I suddenly had like 8 boxes of that for some reason.
• Drain, pat dry with paper towel.  Toss each piece in flour seasoned with S&P and garlic powder.
• In batches, brown on both sides in a bit of oil.

The sauce:

• Reduce a couple boxes of chicken stock with a slug of white wine.
• Add juice from a couple lemons and a knob of butter.
• Thicken with a cornstarch slurry – cornstarch stirred up in a bit of cold water.

The wedding:

• Paillards into a casserole dish.
• Sauce over, handful of capers, slices of lemon.
• About 20 minutes before service, into 350° oven.
• Just before service, cast a fistful of chopped parsley over.

The Takeaway:

I adapted this from one of my mother-in-law’s recipes.  Served it with pasta fagioli.  That’s right.  Pasta fagioli.

p.s. – check out Chef Pauley Boy’s new blog: Hoboken Foodie