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Chicken piccata with caramelised lemon, chipotle & tarragon
Serves 2
Easy
Prep:
Cook:
Juggling busy lives, with or without children, can be totally exhausting at times. This is when you need recipes that give you everything you need in terms of flavour and looks, but are a cinch to put together. Here, you throw the ingredients into the pan and, in very little time, you have a cracking dinner in front of you. Think of the flavours. Mild, sweet chillies, honey, caramelised lemons, garlic, capers and tarragon all having a party together, emulsified with a delicious amount of butter and a splash of white wine. This is a keeper. Serve with sautéed courgettes, or a herby rice and a crisp green salad.
Recipe extracted from Thomasina Miers new cookbook, Mexican Table (£28, Quadrille). Photographs Matt Russell.
Skip to ingredients
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 2 lemons
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 100g cold butterdiced
- 5 large garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp capers
- 250ml white wine
- 1-2 tbsp chipotle en adobo
- 1 large tbsp honey
- large handful of tarragonleaves picked and chopped
Method
step 1
Cut open each chicken breast through the thickest part using a sharp knife, opening them up like butterflies. Cover with baking parchment and pound flat with a rolling pin or heavy pan until the breasts are 3-5mm thick. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
step 2
Heat a large, wide frying pan over a high heat. Slice one and a half lemons into thin, 3-4mm slices and pour the olive oil into the hot pan. Add the slices in a single layer and sauté on both sides until caramelised and slightly blackened. Remove them to a plate. Now turn the heat down to medium–high, add a knob of the butter to the pan and fry the garlic for a minute, then add the capers and sauté until the garlic is golden and soft. Using a slotted spoon, remove to the plate with the lemon slices. Turn the heat right up again, add another knob of butter and sauté the chicken for a few minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside somewhere warm.
step 3
Pour the wine into the pan and allow to simmer for 15–20 seconds. Turn off the heat and start adding the remaining butter, whisking to emulsify it into a syrupy sauce. Once all the butter has been added, whisk in the chipotle, honey and half the chopped tarragon. Now squeeze in half the remaining lemon juice and taste, adjusting the seasoning to your liking with more salt, pepper or lemon. Add the lemon slices back to the pan to warm through. Serve the chicken on a large, warm plate with the sauce poured over, scattered with the lemon slices, capers, garlic and remaining tarragon. Serve at once with fresh bread or rice to mop up that sauce.
