M: Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata and a Cocktail

I do have to thank Cooking Light for these recipes – this month’s issue is fantastic! I tend to have a love-hate relationship with this magazine. Sometimes there is not one recipe I would even think about trying, but most times there is at least a few. This month, I’m pretty sure I want to make every single recipe!

This dinner was seriously amazing. Of course, being Cooking Light, it’s a slightly lighter version of a normal chicken piccata. But, the lemon flavor was spot-on. Not overwhelming, just perfect. And, since Meyer lemons are in season right now and I bought a ton of them at Whole Foods (and apart from squeezing them into my sweet tea) this was definitely the best use for them! Let’s do this…

Sprinkle your cutlets with salt and pepper and dredge in a shallow dish of flour. Melt 1 TB of butter in a large hot skillet. Add your cutlets to the pan and cook about 2 minutes. Turn cutlets over and cook for about 1 minute. Cook your remaining cutlets the same way.

Add wine to the pan and bring to a boil, scraping the pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for about 1 minute or until the liquid almost evaporates (Please excuse the permanent brown stains on my pan – my set has seen lots of wear and tear!).

Add chicken broth, cook about 4 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and capers. Then serve over chicken and sprinkle with fresh parsley! I served with mashed potatoes and a brussel sprout casserole (which deserves its own post – will be coming soon!)

And to perfectly compliment my Meyer lemon chicken? Why, a Meyer lemon champagne cocktail of course! (recipe below) So good!

Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata

from Cooking Light

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or 4 cutlets)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup AP flour

2 TB butter, divided

1/3 cup sauvignon blanc, or other crisp white wine

1/2 cup fat free/low sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

2 TB capers, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Split chicken breast halves in half horizontally to form 4 thin cutlets. Pound each cutlet between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle cutlets with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge cutlets in flour.

Melt 1 TB butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 cutlets to pan, and cook about 2 minutes. Turn over and cook about 1 minute or until cooked through. Remove cutlets. Melt remaining TB of butter in pan and cook last 2 cutlets the same way.

Remove cutlets (I placed onto a plate and wrapped with foil to keep warm). Add wine to pan, bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook about 1 minute or until liquid is almost evaporated. Stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cook until broth mixture is reduced to about 2 TB (about 4 minutes). Stir in lemon juice and capers. Serve over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.

Sparkling Meyer Lemon Cocktail

from Cooking Light

1 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

1 rosemary sprig

1 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice, chilled (about 8 lemons)

1/3 cup chilled vodka

2 cups chilled sparkling white wine, chilled

Combine first 3 ingredients in a microwave safe dish. Microwave for about 2 1/2 minutes; stir until sugar dissolves. Let sit 10 minutes; discard rosemary. Chill.

Combine sugar mixture, juice, vodka, and sparkling wine, stirring gently. Serve immediately.

Cheers!