Chicken Picatta

One of my favorites. I created this recipe to suit my taste exactly, so don't be afraid to change things a little to suit yours.

This will serve 6.

Ingredients
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied open, pounded thin, cut in 1/2, 12 pieces all together
1 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
8 thin slices of pancetta
1/3 cup brined capers, drained
1/3 cup diced artichoke hearts
6 T unsalted butter
4 T good olive oil
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup chicken stock


Method
Pre-heat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, dredge in the flour, and set aside on a plate. Fry the pancetta in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, until cooked through and slightly crispy, remove and reserve.

Melt 2 T of butter, and 2 T of olive oil in the same pan with the fat from the pancetta, and brown 1/2 of the chicken pieces, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add 2 more T of butter, and the remaining 2T of olive oil to the pan, and do the rest of the chicken.

Put all of the chicken on the sheet pan in the oven for 5-8 minutes, while doing the sauce.

De-glaze the pan with the combined lemon juice and chicken stock. Whisk up all brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and turn up the heat to reduce the sauce to thicken slightly - 5 minutes (The sauce will still be thin when you’re finished). Then add the capers and artichoke hearts, and let it simmer for a minute. Finish by whisking in the last 2 T of butter.

Arrange all the chicken on a large platter, scatter the pancetta on top, and pour the sauce on top to coat. Serve with angel hair pasta that has been tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and freshly grated parmesean.