Supper at Six with Rebecca and Anne

Our youngest daughter, Anne’s favorite meal is Chicken Piccata. I made it for her often when she was young and lived at home. And I still make it for her when she comes over for a visit (though not as often as she would like).

Anne is a pastry chef in Denver, CO. I asked her if she would do a live cook-along with me while we were in town and she immediately accepted and suggested that we make chicken piccata, of course.

We titled it Supper at Six in honor of one of our favorite books, Lesson In Chemistry.

If you’d like to cook along, here’s the recipe:

Chicken Piccata

Makes 4-6 servings.

• One 16 ounce package of spaghetti or angel hair pasta (If you have the time and inclination, homemade spaghetti noodles makes this dish even better.)

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 4 tablespoons butter, divided

• ¼ cup dry vermouth

• ¼ - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (to taste)

• ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

• ½ cup chicken broth

• 4 ounces nonpareil capers

• ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until it's just under al dente (very slightly underdone). Drain and pile it onto a large serving platter. Cover with aluminum foil and place in a 200 degree oven just to keep it warm while you make the chicken.

2. Lay chicken on paper towels and pat dry.

3. Put the flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish or pie plate and stir to combine. Dredge the chicken in the flour, coating it on all sides. Gently shake off excess flour and lay the chicken on a plate.

4. Add the olive oil and 2 tablespoon butter to a large heavy bottom saucepan or deep skillet and set it over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the chicken. Do not overlap the chicken in the pan - brown in batches if necessary. Let the chicken cook on one side until golden brown - about 3 minutes. Flip over and let cook on the other side util golden brown, about 3 minutes more. Remove the chicken from the pot and set on a plate.

5. Add the vermouth and crushed red pepper to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until almost all the liquid has evaporated - about 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Put the chicken back into the pan along with the capers, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 5-10 minutes.

6. Remove the pan from the heat and taste for seasoning; add more salt and pepper if desired. Use tongs to lay the chicken on top of the pasta. Add the remaining 2 tablespoon butter to the pan and stir until it's melted. Pour the sauce over the chicken and pasta, top with the chopped parsley, and serve.