Chicken Picatta

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 egg

1 cup bread crumbs

salt and black pepper to taste

2 lemons

8 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 cup chicken broth (or stock, I just save the broth whenever I boil chicken, it can last up to 7 days in the fridge and it's healthier than store-bought chicken stock)

1/4 cup capers

chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

1- Butterfly each chicken breast, wrap in plastic and pound each breast a little. This helps make that texture a lot smoother.

2- In a bowl, beat the egg and add salt and pepper. Let chicken sit in the egg for a couple minutes

3- Remove chicken from egg mixture and bread it with the bread crumbs. Apply pressure so the bread sticks well to the chicken.

4- Meanwhile, heat up half of the butter in a skillet and once hot brown the breaded chicken on both sides (make sure it's on medium-high so the chicken can brown on the outside but not cook all the way inside).

5- Once chicken is browned, put it on a baking sheet and squeeze the juice of a lemon all over chicken and then cover with foil and bake in the oven (preheated to 350 degrees) for about 30 minutes.

6- While the chicken is baking, use the same skillet used for the chicken and add remaining butter and flour and mix well. 

7- Once butter is melted and thickened, add the juice from the remaining lemon, the chicken broth, and the capers. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and let it reduce until it reaches a creamy consistency and then remove from heat.

8- Check on chicken if the breasts were thick they'll take longer to cook (about 30 minutes) but if they were thin they'll be ready sooner (about 20 minutes). 

9- Plate the chicken breast and then add the sauce on top. You can garnish with lemon slices and fresh parsley. In the picture, I accompanied the chicken with a red potatoes & yam puree (click for recipe).

10- Enjoy!

Homemade Teriyaki Chicken

 Asian food is my latest challenge to conquer. I never received any training in Asian cuisine and for years my source of Chinese fair was Panda Express. Of course I was young and naive at the time. As I grew, I realized I didn't know much about Asian food even though I loved it so much. Somewhere along the way, I decided I was going to start trying to cook more Chinese food. I wasn't too driven but manage to--slowly--learn more and more. 

So here is one of my recipes I'm proud of in my conquest. I absolutely love Teriyaki chicken but I feel some sauce can be a little to heavy. I feel like this recipe is packed with flavor but isn't as heavy and thick as the conventional ones.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken breast

2 cups all purpose flour

pinch of salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper

1 tbs peanut oil

1 tbs vegetable oil

Veggies of your choice (I used broccoli, bean sprouts, carrots, bell peppers, and onions)

Sauce-

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbs cornstarch

2 tbs ground ginger

2 tbs fresh crushed garlic (you can use powder but I prefer it fresh)

Cut the chicken in medium chunks--make sure they are the same size so it cooks evenly. Throw the pieces in a bowl with flour and spices and mix well until everything is coated with flour. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients together and whisk to mix it well. In a hot wok/large skillet heat up 1 tbs peanut oil and 3 tbs vegetable oil and wait for oil to get really hot. If it starts smoking it means it's getting burnt, add chicken right away. Cook chicken on high heat, mixing occasionally, for about 15 minutes and then lower heat to medium-high and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove chicken from wok and throw in veggies on high heat for about 5 minutes. Put chicken back into wok with veggies and add the sauce. Let everything cook together on high heat for about 5 minutes or until desired thickness is achieved. Serve over steamed rice. ENJOY!