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Back to Basics: My Makeshift Chicken Piccata

I haven’t shared a recipe in a while. It’s not because I haven’t been cooking — I have — but nothing new has been coming out of my kitchen lately. I’ve been in one of those same old, same old phases. I always fall into that after a couple of kitchen failures. When something flops, I retreat to my old standbys for comfort.

A Couple of Cookie Disasters

Recently I had two cookie mishaps in a row.
The first one was my fault — I misread the recipe. The second one? The only explanation I can come up with is that my oven temperature was off. What should have been soft, fluffy, cake‑like molasses cookies came out flat as a pancake. The best way to describe them is a thin, chewy ginger snap.

I’ve got an oven thermometer on the way, so hopefully that mystery gets solved soon. In the meantime, I’ve been keeping things pretty basic.

The Chicken Broth and Lemon Situation

Tonight I found myself staring at a nearly full box of chicken broth and two lemons that were about to give up on life. I needed to use them — but I didn’t have any veggies for a stir fry, and all I had was chicken breast. So… what to make?

I have tons of chicken recipes, but every one I pulled out needed something I didn’t have.
This one wanted white wine.
That one wanted broccoli.
Another wanted asparagus.

And then I saw it: Chicken Piccata.
I haven’t made it in ages. It’s easy, quick, and the leftovers warm up beautifully.

So that’s what I made — my makeshift dinner to use up the broth and lemons.

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Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

Chicken:

• 4 chicken breasts
• ½ cup flour
• 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (olive oil recommended)
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Sauce:

• ¼ cup butter
• 1½ tablespoons flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ½ cup white wine or additional chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley

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Instructions

1. Prep the chicken:
   Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them to an even ½‑inch thickness.
2. Dredge:
   Combine flour, lemon zest (zest ½ the lemon), salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and set aside.
3. Cook the chicken:
   Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium‑high heat. Cook the chicken 4–5 minutes per side, until just cooked through. Cook in batches if needed. Remove and set aside.
4. Make the roux:
   In the same pan, melt the butter. Add the 1½ tablespoons of flour and whisk until smooth.
5. Build the sauce:
   Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, a little at a time, until smooth.
6. Add flavor:
   Add lemon juice, white wine (or more broth), and capers. Simmer for 3 minutes, whisking occasionally.
7. Finish:
   Return the chicken to the pan and simmer 2–3 minutes more. Stir in parsley and serve over pasta.

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And that, my friends, was my “use‑it‑up” dinner — born from leftover chicken broth and two lemons on their last legs. If you try it, let me know how yours turns out.

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