So, castelvetrano olives were on sale at the grocery store this week and well, I may have gone a little crazy. I ate the first 1/2 lb straight because I am a nut for olives, and these little green Sicilian beauties are some of my favorites. After I gorged myself on olives I thought maybe it would be fun to cook with them - and that is how we got to chicken piccata. I love the salty briny flavor of the olives and capers, and when you mix it with bright acidic lemon and white wine, and temper it with butter it is a winning combination. This meal has a bit of wow factor, but its easy so its perfect for a week night or a special night. It would be good with cauliflower rice and wilted greens, or served over pasta.

Ingredients:

3 Large boneless chicken breasts, split or butterflied

1/3 cup flour

Salt & Pepper

1/4 lb pitted green olives

3 tablespoons capers

5 cloves of garlic (give or take)

1 lemon

2 tblsp butter

2-3 tblsp EVOO

1 cup white wine

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Dredge the thinly cut or butterflied chicken breasts in the flour, coating well. In the meanwhile, start heating a tablespoon or two of oil in a frying pan at medium heat - use one with deep sides - as you can see from the photos I had a bit of a splatter situation with too much oil and not enough coverage. Once the oil is quite hot, pan fry the chicken breasts until cooked through and golden brown on both sides. It should only take a few minutes per side. It may take a couple rounds - you want to make sure that you don’t crowd the chicken in the pan. While the chicken cooks, prep the olives by cutting them in half and slice the garlic thinly.

Once the chicken is cooked through and golden, pull it out of the pan. Add in a tablespoon of EVOO and one of butter, followed by the garlic and olives. Once the garlic is fragrant, add in the capers and white wine, stirring to incorporate. Simmer to reduce the volume of the liquid by half, then add in the remaining butter and the juice of the lemon. After the sauce reduces a little bit further, allowing you to drag a spoon across the bottom of the pan without it instantly filling in, add the chicken back in. Turn the chicken to coat a couple times - once the chicken is well coated and hot - it is ready!