Chicken Piccata (Barefoot Contessa)

Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cook Time: about 20 minutes
Servings: 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I get the thin sliced so I don't have to pound them flat later like the recipe calls for)
kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 c. flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. seasoned dried bread crumbs
extra virgin olive oil
3 Tb unsalted butter, at room temp
1/3 freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
1/2 dry white wine
sliced lemon, for serving cause we're fancy like that
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish. Again, fanciful.

Preheat the oven to 400 degree. Line a sheet with parchment paper.

If you went ahead and got normal chicken breasts, opposed to the already flat breasts (AND THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THOSE), you can skip this part: Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound it out to 1/4 inch thick.

Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper on a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the eggs and 1 Tb water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread-crumb mixtures.

Heat 2 Tb olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add 2 chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan while you cook the rest of the chicken. Heat more olive oil in the sauté pan and cook the second 2 chicken breasts. (I never do this, I just do them all together and it works fine.) Place them on the same sheet and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, wipe out the sauté pan with a dry paper towel. On medium heat, melt 1 Tb of butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 Tb of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves. Serve one chicken breast on each place, spoon the sauce, and serve with sliced lemon and the sprinkling of fresh parsley.