Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Lemon Caper Chicken

So, I finally gave up and decided to start a blog. This past year I have been trying to branch out and try a lot of new things. I'm not much of a dessert person but I tried to bake my first 2 layer cake this year, which turned out better than I had expected. I also tried a lot of new recipes. I was always trying to cook something creative so there were very few repeats. I need to go back and start remaking some of the ones that Tyrone, my husband, loved.
One thing that I made this year was lemon caper chicken. I had been craving Buca Di Beppo's lemon caper chicken for the longest time and I had tried to make it once in college and it was a flop. So, I found a different recipe online and it was amazing.




I've used this same sauce 2 or three times since then. I did the same sauce but I added mushrooms and garlic one time. I just sauteed the mushrooms and garlic in the pan before I added the wine. I also put this sauce on fish. I used Swai fillets but I would imagine that halibut or red snapper would be good as well. With that one, I used the same sauce and I added artichoke hearts. It was delicious. Here is the recipe:

2 six-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt
1 cup of flour
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of white wine
4 large lemons
1/2 stick of unsalted butter softened
Small handful of drained capers

Cut three lemons in half and use for fresh lemon juice. Pour the juice through a fine strainer. Cut the last lemon into wedges for garnish.
Begin to heat the olive oil in a 12 inch saute pan on medium-high. While oil is getting hot, lightly season both sides of the chicken breast with salt.
Lightly dust the chicken breast in the flour. Shake off excess flour.
Place chicken in the saute pan skin side down.When the chicken is golden brown, turn over and brown the other side as well. It is important to brown both sides to insure the chicken is completely cooked through.
When both sides are nice and brown, add white wine and lemon juice. Continue to cook for approximately two to three minutes. The liquid should reduce approximately half. Once the liquid is reduced, remove the chicken breasts from the pan and turn off heat.
Check to make sure the chicken breasts are cooked by turning each piece of chicken over and cutting it halfway through with a knife. There should be no visible pink. If the chicken is not completely cooked through, place in a 400 degree oven for five minutes to complete cooking.
Finish the sauce by placing the softened butter in the pan. Using rubber spatula, work the butter into the sauce as it melts. Pour sauce directly on top of chicken breasts. Garnish with capers and lemon wedges.

The ingredient that makes this recipe so amazing is the white wine. This was my first recipe cooking with wine and it has changed my life. I have almost used a whole bottle of wine in just a few months. I had no idea what to get when shopping at the store though because I don't drink alcohol. The lady at the store said pretty much any cheap white wine would work. My bottle only cost $2.99 and it tastes just fine. 






3 comments:

  1. Hey! I have some Swai fish and I dont know what to do with it. I just bought it cuz it was cheap. What do u suggest? Have u tries any other ways of cooking Swai fish?

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  2. I liked the recipe above the best. I also used a recipe that was on the package of the fish. Here is a link to a recipe that is somewhat similar. If you try it let me know. I'm curious to know how the red wine vinegar will taste in it. Hope this helps.

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  3. http://www.ehow.com/how_5355326_cook-tasty-swai-fillets.html

    Here is the link. sorry

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