Parmesan Chicken Picata and East Coast Grill's cornbread

CREAMY LEMON PARMESAN CHICKEN (PICCATA)

INGREDIENTS

For The Chicken:

• 2 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally to make 4

• 2 tablespoons flour (all purpose or plain)

• 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese

• 1 teaspoon salt

• Cracked pepper

For The Sauce:

• Light spray of cooking oil

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 teaspoons butter (or oil)

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 1¼ cup chicken broth (stock)

• ½ cup milk (full fat or 2% -- or use reduced fat cream or heavy cream)

• ⅓ cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese

• 2 tablespoons capers (plus 2 tablespoons extra to garnish)

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (cornflour) mixed with 1 tablespoon of water

• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice -- juice of 1 lemon (adjust to your tastes)

• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley

1 Lightly spray pan/skillet with a light coating of cooking oil spray and heat over medium-hight heat. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour and parmesan cheese. Season the chicken with salt and pepper; dredge in the flour mixture; shake off excess and set aside.

2 Heat the 1 tablespoon of oil and 2 teaspoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter has melted and pan is hot. Fry the chicken until golden on each side and cooked through and no longer pink (about 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken). Transfer onto a warm plate.

3 Add the garlic to the oil in the pan (spray with a light coating of oil if needed) and fry until fragrant (about 1 minute). Reduce heat to low-medium heat, add the broth and milk (or cream). Bring the sauce to a boil; season with salt and pepper to your taste; add in the parmesan cheese and capers and allow sauce to simmer for about 2 minutes until thicker. (If the sauce is too runny for your liking, add the cornstarch/water mixture into the centre of the pan and mix through fast to combine into the sauce. It will begin to thicken immediately).

4 Pour in the lemon juice, allow to simmer for a further minute to combine. Add the chicken back into the pan to serve, or serve over steamed vegetables, zucchini noodles or cooked pasta with the sauce. Top with extra capers to garnish, lemon slices and parsley.  

East Coast Grill’s Cornbread

• SAM SIFTON YIELD6 to 8 servings TIME1 hour 15 minutes 

This corn bread, adapted from the one developed by Chris Schlesinger and served at his East Coast Grill in Cambridge, Mass., is lofty and sweet, crusty and cakelike, moist and ethereal. As Sam Sifton said in the 2012 article that accompanied the recipe, it is "the corn bread to become a child’s favorite, to become the only corn bread that matters. All else is not corn bread."

Featured in: The Corn Bread Matters Most. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal

• ¾ cup white sugar

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 2 large eggs

• 1 ½ cups whole milk

• 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil

• ¼ cup melted butter

• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
567 calories; 16 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 93 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 30 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 88 milligrams cholesterol; 431 milligrams sodium

PREPARATION

1 Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil a 9-inch cast-iron skillet and put it in the oven to heat up.

2 In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and oil. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, add the melted butter and the corn and stir together until just mixed.

3 Remove the hot cast-iron pan from the oven and pour into it the batter, then give the pan a smack on the countertop to even it out. Return pan to oven and bake, approximately 1 hour, until the corn bread is browned on top and a toothpick or a thin knife inserted into the top comes out clean.