2 servings; 5 min preparation; 25 min cooking time.

This is a lemony and fresh way to serve chicken. Piccata refers to the way the meat is prepared and it literally means “larded” and it probably comes from the amount of butter used. This sauce is indeed very rich, but the lemon flavor gives it a unique taste.

Normally this dish is prepared with lemon, capers and butter. The most common meat, used for piccata in Italy, is veal. Chicken piccata is a lighter version of this dish and it’s very popular in the US.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 lemons, juice
• 1 tbsp dried parley
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
• salt and pepper

• 120 g uncooked couscous
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, minced
• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

Chicken: Heat olive and 1 tbsp butter in the pan. Butterfly the chicken breasts using a sharp knife so that you have four thin fillets. Season with salt and pepper. Dip the fillets in flour until they are fully covered. Cook the fillets over medium heat for 4 min on each side or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Set aside.

Couscous: Boil 150 of water. Pour the water in a bowl with couscous. Cover the bowl with a plate and let it stay for 15-20 min or until the couscous absorbs the water. Take a fork and stir the couscous. Season with salt and pepper. Mix with the minced basil. Pour a little bit of olive oil on top.

Sauce: In the same pan that you used for the chicken add chicken stock and cream. Add the cornstarch and whisk well. Slice the garlic cloves and add them to the sauce. Add the juice of two lemons, parsley and capers. Let it cook over medium heat until it gets thicker. If the sauce is to sour, add brown sugar.  Finish with butter. Don’t reduce the sauce too much, it will get thick very fast.

Serve the chicken fillets on top of the couscous. Pour the sauce on top. Enjoy!