Chicken Piccata & Kale Caesar

It's time to dust off the old cooking blog and get my current recipes on here, as people have been asking...

This was a hit with everyone in the house, so it'll be dinner tomorrow, and we're making it with some family on Zoom or Teams. We'll add in Mads' fave smashed potatoes (small goldens or reds, steamed or boiled, then crushed on a cookie sheet, drizzled with EVOO and seasoned/roasted), and Kale Caesar (adapted from Dr. Andrew Weil, and enjoyed in our home at least twice a week).

Chicken Piccata (Chicken with Lemon and Capers)

Serves 6-8 (great for leftovers)

3-4 chicken breasts split in half into cutlets (or sub thighs if you prefer)

1/2 cup flour

2 tsps lemon pepper

2 tsps salt

2 tsps garlic powder

2-3 lemons (zested, and juiced)

4 Tablespoons olive oil

1.5 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup capers

4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

1-2 Tablespoons half-and-half

Split your chicken breast in half (into cutlets) and then pound them thin (I do this in a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin). I then cut each half into two or three pieces. If you're using thighs, just pound them thin. Two chicken breasts fed our family of four dinner, with leftovers for lunch for two the next day.

Mix the flour and seasonings together in a pie pan or on a large plate, and coat the chicken pieces. Add pieces to a large skillet to brown, about 8 mins, depending on thickness. Turn the chicken to brown evenly. Move the chicken to another plate or pan as you finish cooking all of the chicken.

Whisk together the lemon juice and zest, broth, and garlic, then pour it into the chicken drippings in the pan. Stir and reduce a bit, and add half-and-half. Add the chicken back to the pan, and sprinkle in the capers to warm up to serve.

Kale Salad

5-6 cups chopped Italian (Lacinato) kale, ribs removed (or a triple-washed package of baby kale)
Juice from 1 large lemon, or two small lemons
4-5 Tbs. olive oil (truffled olive oil from Trader Joe's is amazing in this)
4 cloves pressed, fresh, garlic
Kosher or sea salt (to taste)
lemon pepper (or Penzey's Sunny Spain) to taste
3/4 cup shaved or grated Parmesan, Asiago, or other hard, flavorful cheese

Whisk the fresh-squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, pressed garlic and seasonings in a large salad bowl, then add all but 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and whisk again. Let sit for at least 5 minutes, just before serving, and top with remaining Parmesan.