Chicken Piccata

Here's a new way to try chicken using common ingredients. It's very zesty from the lemon juice, but the flavor from the bouillon and garlic powder cut down the tartness. The swiss cheese on top seems like it wouldn't fit with the rest of the flavors, but we loved it. Jon wants more cheese next time. If you don't like capers, just leave them out. If you have a saute pan that is oven safe, you can just set the chicken aside while making the sauce, and use just one pan for the whole recipe. This came from Always in Season under the Spring section. A good side dish is mashed carrots and potatoes. Just boil 2 diced carrots along with 3 large potatoes cut into chunks, then mash together with butter and milk as usual.

Chicken Piccata

1 tsp paprika
1/3 C flour
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tb olive oil
1/2 C water, divided
1/4 C + 1 Tb fresh lemon juice, divided
1 Tb or 1 cube chicken bouillon
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/4 C milk
1 Tb flour
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 Tb capers
1/2 C shredded Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the paprika with the flour. Coat the chicken with mixture. Heat oil in a large skillet, and brown chicken on all sides. Add the 1/4 C lemon juice and 1/4 C water, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 min. Remove chicken and place in a baking dish, reserving the pan juices in the skillet. Combine the bouillon (crush if using a cube) 1 Tb lemon juice, lemon peel, milk, 1/4 C water, flour, and garlic powder in a small bowl and mix well. Add to the pan juices in the skillet, simmer over medium heat. Do not boil. Pour sauce over chicken, cover, and bake for 15 min. Sprinkle the cheese over the chicken and bake uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.