Chicken Picatta (aka pounded chicken)

4 Chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup champagne
Juice from one lemon
Lots of capers
Lemon slices for garnish

Take a chicken breast and place it on a hard surface (counter, cutting board) between two pieces of wax paper. Get a meat pounder, using the flat surface (not the medieval looking surface) and pound the crap out of the chicken until it is about 3/8” thick – or until you are satisfied. It helps to envision the chicken breast as the person that your lover cheated on you with, or something that you particularly hate. It’s OK if the meat breaks up into several pieces – or if there are holes in it when you are done. The important thing is that the muscle fiber of the meat should be pulverized, torn, and shredded.

Put a skillet (not non-stick, please) over medium heat and melt the butter with the olive oil.

Mix the flour with the salt and pepper and spread out on a plate. Dredge the chicken breast through the flour and shake off the excess. Cook the chicken breasts in the oil butter mixture, about 2 minutes per side, browning slightly. Do not overcrowd the pan. Remove the chicken pieces to a plate after they are cooked.

Once all the chicken breasts are cooked, deglaze the pan with the champagne. I never measure this – just pour it in from the bottle. It will boil, hiss, and steam a lot, then settle down to form a thick sauce. Add in the lemon juice and capers. This completes the picatta sauce. You can do this with a dry white wine instead of champagne, but the taste just isn’t the same. Next add the chicken back into the sauce and make sure it’s heated through. Garnish with lemon slices and serve immediately.

It’s pretty simple, it tastes great and it really works out your aggressions.