Panko Parmesan Crusted Chicken Piccata

This twist on an Italian classic uses Japanese panko bread crumbs to create a delicate yet irresistibly crisp breading on the outside of lightly fried chicken cutlets which are then served with a savory and tangy pan sauce over angel hair pasta.

Time: 45-60 minutes
Level:  Easy/Intermediate
Cost: About $4-6 per plate
Serves: 4- 6

Ingredients:

1.   2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied, sliced through and pounded into cutlets about 1/4 inch thick.
2. 1/4 cup flour
3. 1 TBSP Paprika
4. Salt and Pepper
5. 2 eggs
6. 1 TBSP vodka (optional, adds crunch!)
7. 2 TBSP cream or milk
8. 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
9. 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
10. 2 TBSP butter (or clarified butter, which you can buy at Trader Joe’s, also called ‘ghee’)
11. 1/4 cup vegetable oil – or enough to be 1/2 inch deep in the pan you’re working with
12. 4-6 cloves garlic, finely minced
13. 1 14oz can low sodium chicken stock
14. 12 oz dry white wine
15. Juice of two lemons
16. 1 5oz can capers, drained and rinsed
17. 1 box angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions
18. 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.  Begin heating 3-4 quarts water for pasta.

Mince garlic, open can of chicken stock, open wine, juice lemons, rinse and drain capers.  Set aside.

Set up your chicken dredging station.  You’ll need two, wide shallow dishes and one medium sized bowl.

• Put the flour in one of the wide, shallow dishes.  Season aggressively with salt and pepper; add paprika and whisk together.
• In the second wide, shallow dish add Panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.  whisk together until well mixed.
• Crack two eggs into the medium sized bowl; add vodka (if using) and cream/milk.  Whisk together until slightly foamy.
• Set them up in this order:  Flour mixture, egg wash, bread crumb mixture

Dredge a chicken cutlet first in the flour mixture (shaking of excess), then dip into the egg wash, and then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing firmly to adhere to each side.

Note:  If you want exceptionally crispy breading that is almost guaranteed not to fall off your chicken cutlets, do this:  Dredge your cutlets in this order – Egg Wash, Flour, Egg wash, Panko Mixture.  Once breaded, place them on a baking sheet and refrigerate them for 30 minutes before continuing to the next step.

Heat vegetable oil and 2 TBSP butter in a large skillet over medium heat and gently stir.  Add cutlet to skillet and fry 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.  Repeat with remaining cutlets.

Note:  You  can fry more than one at a time, but you’ll probably need to work in batches – every time a cutlet is added to the skillet, it will reduce the over-all temperature, which will hinder browning and increase the possibility of soaking the breading in oil rather than frying it.  I’ve found that 3-4 cutlets at a time is a good number, depending on their size.  You may also need to add more fat to the pan between batches; this is also okay.  If you do, try to keep the olive oil-to-butter ratio at roughly 1:1.

When all the cutlets are browned, placed them on a wire rack set on a baking sheet (or a lightly greased baking sheet, but the wire rack is preferable so that the bottom of your cutlets don’t become mushy) and bake them in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until cooked through, with an internal temperature of at least 160F.

While the cutlets are coming up to temp in the oven, make your pan sauce. Deglaze the pan with wine, chicken stock and lemon juice and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits that might be stuck to the bottom.  Reduce to a simmer and stir in capers and garlic.  Partially cover and allow to reduce by about 30%.

Now is probably a good time to cook the pasta, which will take 5-7 minutes, while the sauce is reducing.  Just before serving, add the final 2 TBSP butter to the sauce and stir in until fully melted and incorporated.

To plate:  Place pasta on plate, place a chicken cutlet (or two) on top of the pasta, and spoon pan sauce over cutlet and pasta.  Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges if desired.  Serve with extra Parmesan cheese.