Fall back No. 2: Piccata

The second of the three things that I cook whenever I have no idea what to cook is chicken piccata. it's quick, it's easy, it's crispy, it's tangy. And it goes well over pasta, which we discussed at length yesterday.

And it's actually very simple. Bread and saute some thin cutlets, then make a lemon-butter sauce and serve it over pasta. So imagine my surprise watching one of the first episodes of Top Chef this season and seeing a guy who said he had worked in restaurants since he was 13 make something that he passed off as a piccata. It had no lemon. No capers. And it appeared to be a tomato sauce. "Wow, the judges are going to KILL him," I thought. Then Tom Collichio, the head judge whom I respect a lot, started talking about how the breading on the chicken wasn't piccata-like. Huh? And another judge started talking about something else that was completely off point, and I realized, wait, they told him to cook piccata, and THEY don't know what it is? I was distraught. Finally, Rocco DiSpirito, one of the guest judges whose culinary reputation is undergoing a bit of a reclamation after it was destroyed by a two-season reality show train wreck, gently chimed in that possibly the biggest problem was that it wasn't piquant, which is loosely where the word piccata comes from. I said, "THANK YOU!" (Yeah, yeah, I get upset about some really stupid stuff.)

Anyway, another reason to love this dish is that it's another one that you can meld to your mood. Chicken and veal are classic, but pork, or even shrimp, could easily be substituted. If you don't want pasta -- are you sure? -- this would probably be good with roasted potatoes, too. But I wouldn't know. I like pasta.

Chicken piccata

4  split chicken breasts, pounded thin. you could use thin cutlets instead.
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs. i like panko, but any kind are fine.
salt and pepper
oil
6 tbls butter
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
3 tbls capers
lemon slices
chopped parsley

heat a large skillet with enough cooking oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

put the flour, egg and bread crumbs each on a separate plate. dip a piece of chicken in the flour, shake off excess, dip in egg, put in bread crumbs to coat, then carefully place in skillet. repeat with all the chicken. don't crowd the pan, cook in two batches if necessary.

wipe out pan with dry paper towel and melt butter, then whisk in lemon juice, chicken stock and wine. and bring to a boil and let it reduce by about 1/3. add capers. serve chicken with sauce, and top with a lemon slice and chopped parsley.

serves 4.