Paleo diet rules

CHICKEN PICCATA

My mom makes this dish all the time, so apart from the fact that it tastes great, I love it because it reminds me of her. Traditional chicken piccata is usually dipped in a flour batter and topped with cheese, but this recipe is simpler, with sautéed chicken and lots of delicious, buttery mushrooms and bright lemon juice. It also scales up easily, so it would be perfect to make for a crowd. SERVES 2

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 25 minutes

1 pound thinly sliced chicken breast or tenders

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon grass-fed butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided

¼ cup chicken broth, divided

1 tablespoon capers, drained, divided

10 ounces mushrooms, white button or baby bellas, sliced

1. Lay the chicken out on a plastic cutting board, and cover with plastic wrap. Pound the pieces out to get them as thin as possible. Remove the plastic wrap, and season with salt and pepper.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the butter and olive oil. When it is hot, quickly sauté half the chicken in a single layer until it begins to brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Add half the lemon juice, half the chicken broth, and half the capers. Cover the pan and let cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer the chicken from the pan to a serving dish.
3. Repeat step 2 with the remaining chicken.
4. Finally, sauté the mushrooms in the same pan for about 5 minutes.
5. Pile the cooked mushrooms on top of the chicken, and serve.

VARIATION 1 PALEO CHICKEN PICCATA WITH ARTICHOKES: Add a can of artichoke hearts to the mushrooms, and sauté them together.

VARIATION 2 GREEN BEAN CHICKEN PICCATA: In a small saucepan, boil about 10 ounces chopped green beans for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and plunge into a bowl of cold water to stop them cooking. Serve with the chicken piccata.

PALEO PAIR: Serve with zucchini noodles. If you don’t have a spiralizing tool or vegetable peeler, just julienne the zucchini with a knife. Quickly sauté the noodles in a teaspoon of hot olive oil, and they’re ready to eat!