chicken scallopini

Chicken Scallopini

This weeknight-friendly chicken dish boasts a sauce of butter, wine and garlic and is topped with capers fried with parsley, crushed red pepper, and lemon zest.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 tablespoons drained capers, patted dry and divided (from 2 [3 1/2-ounce] jars)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons fresh juice, divided, plus wedges for serving
2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup (about 2 1/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 1/4 cups dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 medium garlic clove
5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter

Direction

Preheat oven to 200°F. Place a wire rack inside a baking sheet; set aside. Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons of the capers; cook, stirring occasionally and tilting skillet so oil and capers pool on 1 side, until crispy and browned, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and transfer capers using a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined small plate; do not discard oil in skillet. Stir together fried capers, parsley, crushed red pepper, and lemon zest; set aside.
Place a chicken breast on a cutting board. Place your non-cutting hand on top of chicken to hold it in place. Cut chicken in half horizontally, starting at thickest side. Repeat process with remaining chicken breast. Cover each half with plastic wrap, and pound to a 1/3-inch thickness.
Stir together flour, thyme, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper in a shallow dish or plate. Place 2 chicken halves in flour mixture, and turn to coat; tap off excess flour mixture, and transfer chicken to a large plate. Repeat process with remaining chicken halves.
Heat reserved oil in skillet over medium-high. Add 2 floured chicken halves; cook until golden brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes total. Place browned chicken halves on wire rack-lined baking sheet, and place in warm oven. Do not wipe skillet clean. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to skillet, and repeat process with remaining chicken halves. Do not wipe skillet clean.
While chicken is resting in oven, heat skillet over medium-high. Add wine, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 8 to 9 minutes. Add stock, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Grate garlic into skillet using a Microplane grater; add butter, lemon juice, and remaining 1/4 cup capers, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, swirling and stirring constantly, until butter is completely melted, about 1 minute. Spoon sauce over chicken, and garnish with fried caper mixture.

Grilled Chicken with Coconut Rice and Chile Lime Sauce

At Cantinho do Aziz, a family-owned Mozambican restaurant in Lisbon, Portugal, chef Jeny Sulemange prepares a grilled coconut chicken that's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, which she serves with a truly irresistible coconut rice. When making this crispy grilled chicken at home, it's all about the marinade. To make it, use full-fat coconut milk; you'll skim the cream to make the marinade and use the remaining milk to infuse the rice with rich coconut flavor. (We recommend a Thai brand of coconut milk, like Chaokoh, which is richer with a much fuller coconut flavor.) Basting the chicken with more marinade on the grill gets the skin doubly crisp—the sugars in the marinade caramelize while the skin cooks and traps moisture and flavor in each bite.