With Sheree DeLorenzo
Most of us think of Veal Piccata as one of the quintessential Italian dishes, but now Chicken Piccata has become very popular as a less expensive and possibly a healthier version of this famous dish. Piccata is an Italian word. It is sometimes spelled "picatta” and the culinary use of the Italian term means "to be pounded flat".
When you see the word piccata with a recipe you know that means the meat will be floured, seasoned, quickly sauteed and served with a special sauce made with the pan drippings, wine, lemon juice, capers, chopped parsley and in this case mushrooms. This recipe is a version created by the Seaport Grille, and Owner Sheree DeLorenzo makes it in a platter-sized serving but you can also making a one or two sized version of your own.
The technique for typical piccata is to use a chicken breasts “scaloppini,” (also scallopini) which means cutlets that have been pounded to a thin shape. The pounding makes the meat a little tenderer and easier to cook, since you know when it has browned it is done. In this recipe you can forgo that step if you like by using chiceken tenders, which makes the preparation a little shorter but the dish is tasty. If you want to do it the typical way, depending on how thin the cutlets are to start with, you can ask your butcher to flatten them for you, or you can do it yourself at home.
Another distinction of this dish is the use of capers, which is optional. Capers are the unopened flower bud of a wild shrub that thrives in Mediterranean climates, from Spain and France to North Africa. After grading, capers are immediately brined in vinegar, or dry-packed in salt. The taste is fresh, salty, pungent, and slightly flowery-lemony.
