“This healthier chicken piccata recipe takes one of our all time favorite Italian dishes and substitutes frying with baking, uses all natural, fresh ingredients and removes a lot of unneeded fat and calories”

How did 2013 get here?  Last I remember, I was focusing really hard, brow furled, tongue sticking out of the left side of my mouth just a little bit, making sure I wrote “2012″ on my checks so I didn’t look like an idiot to the bank teller.  Wait….no one writes checks anymore?  That’s so 1999?  Man, I just can’t keep up.  So another new year comes at all of us and we all start making our New Year resolutions.  Angie and I had a long talk over dinner about the concept of a new year somehow iterating into the idea of self-improvement.  It’s a human thing to look back, realize you wish you’d have done some things differently and then resolve to get it right this time.  It’s why I can’t get to half of the equipment at the gym for the month of January.  But, as it goes, most of us tire of trying to change things we haven’t had the longterm resolve to change for all the other years we’ve been mulling around the planet, which I appreciate come February when I don’t have to wait my turn to get to the leg press machine.  This year, we’re resolved to help any of you resolving to eat better food that’s better for you.  We’re like that:  helpful, informative, usually eating something.  Some of our most popular posts are the “healthier” versions of foodie favorite meals, where we pick apart great tasting food and substitute ingredients and methods to amp up the nutritional value and keep the taste.

Don’t worry, we’ll still be posting plenty of sugar, butter and flour for the weekends.

This healthier chicken piccata recipe takes one of our all time favorite Italian dishes and substitutes frying with baking, uses all natural, fresh ingredients and removes a lot of unneeded fat and calories.  It’s full of lean protein, a dash of fiber, and taste that’ll make you want to drive a super model around in a Lamborghini on your way to have the espresso stains cleaned out of your fine, tailored suit.  Enjoy.

Soundtrack: Angie and I ducked into a little Capitol Hill bar to get out of the rain one day and found ourselves tapping our feet to some incredibly catchy music they had playing in the lounge.  I “Shazamed” it and discovered an obscure but very cool band called Firewater.  The Album, The Golden Hour is perfect if you’re into european folk laced rock music with a little nerd-rock flavor to it.  The opening track Borneo has some They Might Be Giants vibe with a little hint of Leningrad’s Vtoroi Magadanskiy.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (f)/180 degrees (c).   Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray the tin foil with non-stick olive oil spray.

Yields: 4 servings

2-4 boneless, skinless organic, free range chicken breast halves, butterflied and hammered to about 1/4″
2 Tbsp. fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 Tbsp. organic unsalted butter
1/2 Cup organic, low sodium chicken stock
4 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice (strained to remove pulp and seeds) About 1 large lemon’s worth
1/4 Cup brined capers
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 Cup fresh chopped parsley
Non-Stick Olive Oil spray

Cut the chicken breast halves horizontally, to butterfly them.  With the flat (non-serrated) side of a meat hammer, pound the butterflied breasts on a solid surface until they are about 1/4″ (.64 cm) thick.

Mix the flour, salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan in a small bowl.  Rinse the chicken pieces in water then, without drying them, dredge them thoroughly through the flour mixture to coat well.

Place the coated chicken breasts on the baking sheet and spray the top of each breast with a little olive oil.  Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and slightly browned.  Jump ahead to the directions for making the piccata sauce while your chicken is baking.

In a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp. of butter then add to it the chicken stock , lemon juice, and capers. Mix until thoroughly combined, then bring to a gentle simmer.  Stir in 2 Tbsp. of all purpose flour and mix until there are no lumps.  Once the mixture begins to thicken, remove from the heat.  Add the baked chicken breasts to a plate and pour the sauce over them.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

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