Could CAPERS Become Our Next GO-TO Ingredient?
Acquainted with them? Someone gave me a jar a while back. I had no idea what they were nor what to do with them—until now. Turns out, I’ve been missing out. So, in case any of you don’t know much about capers, I’d thought it’d be fun to explore the concept so you, too, don’t miss out.
Capers are the unripe green buds of a prickly bush called capparis spinosa that grows wild across the Mediterranean and parts of Asia. You’ll find them in jars at the grocery store. They start as flower buds, then get picked, dried and preserved. They’re either cured in salt or pickled in brine, which gives them their trademark savory, briny flavor.
In taste, they have a lemony tang and brininess of green olives, but with a smack of floral tartness. And their brine packing gives them the above-mentioned very salty, savory flavor profile.
Mediterranean dishes commonly include capers. And you’ll find them in lots of seafood recipes and the popular dish, chicken piccata. In the U.S., capers are often served with appetizing spreads and used to garnish bagels, cream cheese and lox. When they’re finely chopped, capers provide a bright, briny backbone to tapenade, sauces, dressings and compound butters. And they make a delicious crispy garnish when fried.
As far as their nutritional contribution, they’re full of vitamins A, E, and K and the minerals copper, iron, and magnesium. But because they’re not eaten in large quantity, you couldn’t consider them a significant nutritional source to any meal. Also, because they’re packed in brine, if you’re watching your sodium intake, you might want to eat them sparingly.
But all that said, the flavor they add to foods is well worth including them once in a while. Take that classic I mentioned above—chicken piccata. Capers are indispensable to this recipe.
As they partner with lemon juice and zest, they brighten up this dish’s butter-based pan sauce. This glossy, tangy capered sauce coats the chicken, transforming boneless, skinless chicken breasts into a five-star meal.
Here’s the recipe from the pros at www.foodnetwork.com. Let’s try this and share our thoughts—could capers become our next GO-TO ingredient?
BEST Chicken Piccata
2 large boneless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces each)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large lemon
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 cloves (large) garlic thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup brined capers drained
1/4 cup flat-leafed parsley roughly chopped
Directions:
1. Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Cut two 12-inch sheets of plastic wrap.
2. Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, making 4 roughly equal pieces; they should look like large chicken tenders. Place one sheet of plastic on a clean cutting board. Put a chicken piece in the center of the plastic and top with the other sheet of plastic. Pound the chicken with the flat side of a meat mallet, starting in the center and working your way to the edges, until the chicken is 1/4-inch thick and 6 to 8 inches long.
3. Transfer to the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken, one piece at a time. Liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper.?Refrigerate the chicken cutlets uncovered for 1 hour.
4. Remove the zest from half of the lemon in wide strips with a vegetable peeler, leaving the bitter white pith behind. Halve and juice the whole lemon.
5. Put the flour in a shallow bowl or plate. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and melt.
6. Working in 2 batches, cook the cutlets, adding another tablespoon of butter to the skillet between batches, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side (it's ok if the chicken is not completely cooked through, it will finish cooking in the sauce). Transfer the cutlets to a plate.
7. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic and 1 tablespoon of the butter to the skillet and cook until the garlic is tender and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 4 minutes.
8. Add the capers, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, 1/4 cup water and the cutlets with any accumulated juices and bring to a boil. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Turn the chicken to coat in the sauce and cook until the butter melts and the sauce thickens slightly. Garnish with chopped parsley.
2. Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, making 4 roughly equal pieces; they should look like large chicken tenders. Place one sheet of plastic on a clean cutting board. Put a chicken piece in the center of the plastic and top with the other sheet of plastic. Pound the chicken with the flat side of a meat mallet, starting in the center and working your way to the edges, until the chicken is 1/4-inch thick and 6 to 8 inches long.
3. Transfer to the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken, one piece at a time. Liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper.?Refrigerate the chicken cutlets uncovered for 1 hour.
4. Remove the zest from half of the lemon in wide strips with a vegetable peeler, leaving the bitter white pith behind. Halve and juice the whole lemon.
5. Put the flour in a shallow bowl or plate. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and melt.
6. Working in 2 batches, cook the cutlets, adding another tablespoon of butter to the skillet between batches, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side (it's ok if the chicken is not completely cooked through, it will finish cooking in the sauce). Transfer the cutlets to a plate.
7. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic and 1 tablespoon of the butter to the skillet and cook until the garlic is tender and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 4 minutes.
8. Add the capers, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, 1/4 cup water and the cutlets with any accumulated juices and bring to a boil. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Turn the chicken to coat in the sauce and cook until the butter melts and the sauce thickens slightly. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
