26 September 2007

Chicken with Lemon-Caper Sauce

Chicken with Lemon Caper Sauce

The 27th annual fall Okanagan Wine Festival officially begins tomorrow. It is a must for all who love fabulous wine accompanied by great food and unique events. Fall is the perfect time in the Okanagan to watch the grapes ripen in the sun and indulge yourself during the harvest celebrations. During the festival you can experience vineyard tours, lunches, dinners, events and the fall wine harvest at over 70 wineries in the valley. The festival is for the next 10 days and guests and locals enjoy their choice of over 165 events throughout the valley which are focused on wine, food, education and the arts in one of North America's most spectacular settings. The festival continues to rank in the top 100 events by the North American Bus Association. Visit their site at www.thewinefestivals.com



I sound like I work for the Chamber of Commerce and have an ad for tourism, but, my friends and I love to attend some of the events together each year. This year we are going on the Historic Rails & Trails Wine & BBQ Event. We have a guided four mile (not km) walk along the picturesque Trans-Canada Trail to the small community of Faulder. Then we take the steam train back to Summerland where the event wraps up with a barbeque lunch and a glass of wine. I have also been on the Kettle Valley Railway Train Robbery. Volunteers dress up in full gear and rob the train just like in an old western movie. They "rob" the passengers and all the money goes to local charities.

My friends and I will also be attending a luncheon at St. Hubertus Winery next weekend. I will be sure to post about all these events.

In honour of the wine festival I will be making a dish with wine for the next 10 days...even if I have to be the "Galloping Gourmet" himself and just swig it back as I am cooking. Wink...wink...

My first dish serves 2 for a cozy dinner with a nice glass of wine, but, you can easily double, triple or quadruple the recipe to serve many.

**Chicken with Lemon-Caper Sauce**

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 (6 oz) skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons capers, drained

Place flour in a small dish or a plastic bag, then coat the chicken and shake off the excess. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Shake excess flour from chicken, then brown in hot oil until both sides are golden-brown, and the inside has turned white and firm, 3 - 4 minutes per side.

Remove the chicken, and set aside in a warm place. Pour white wine into the skillet, and allow to boil as you dissolve the cooked bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the lemon juice, and allow to come to a boil, cook for a few minutes until reduced by half.

Sprinkle the cubed butter into the boiling sauce. Swirl and shake the pan vigorously to dissolve the butter, thus thickening the sauce. The butter must never come to rest, or the sauce will separate and become oily. Once the butter has completely incorporated, remove from heat and stir in capers.

To serve, pour lemon-caper sauce over the chicken, and serve with a wedge of lemon.

Serves 2

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison. Best Blogger Tips

19 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great weeknight dinner, simple & light.

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  2. Is this recipe from Cuisine at Home? I just started getting that magazine and I'm really enjoying the recipes and techniques.

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  3. I have yet to try Capers.I see it in the grocery store but never pick it up!:))
    Chicken looks yum, I will try.

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  4. This sounds delicious! And nice and quick for a weeknight meal. I'm also thinking maybe a teaspoon of dried herbes de Provence--half sprinkled on the chicken before browning it and half added to the sauce with the wine and lemon juice--would add a nice little complex touch to it.

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  5. I have a chicken/caper recipe, but it has a cream sauce, so it's not quite as healthy as this one!! I love the combination of flavors in this dish.

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  6. Thanks guys for your comments. This is a quick and classic dish when you are in a hurry..or not.
    Cream added to the wine or chicken broth would be exceptional Deborah!
    As with all recipes they are limited only by your imagination. The Herbes de provence would be a wonderful addition Terry.

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  7. God, your recipes sound divine!

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  8. One of my favorite chicken dishes! I adore capers and lemon together.
    Your wine week sounds too fun! I miss being close to local wineries. Cannot wait to hear your stories!

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  9. What could be better with chicken than lemon and capers? Yum!

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  10. yummy. email me some, would ya?

    Once this week is over I am hoping that I can get back to cooking and blogging!

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  11. I love simple dish like this! thanks for sharing a quick recipe!

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  12. The recipe looks pretty simple but sounds like it would be full of flavour. Lemon and butter go well together.

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  13. wow, i can't wait to try this! You and I have such similar tastes in food/cooking, it's scary.....

    thanks for all of the great recipes :)

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  14. Love lemon and caper sauce! I've even figured out how to do it on the grill in summer. Great recipe - all that lovely buuter, yum!

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  15. That sounds like a seriously fun event. It would be great fun to be a train robber for a day. Your dish also looks great. I've always been a bit scared of capers. I find them a wee bit salty.

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  16. I love those types of events. The chicken dish is simple and tasty.

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  17. This is another winner, Valli! Its that magical and perfect combination of chicken and lemon, I tell ya! You can't beat it! :-)

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  18. Lovely dish. I like the combination of capers and lemon. Do I see wild rice underneath the chicken? Have fun at the winery!

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  19. Thanks again for your encouragement guys.
    We do have similar tastes in cooking javagirl. I will keep track of your blog to find more recipes!
    The grilled chicken sounds wondewrful Katiez. I hope you will share it!
    KJ, if you don't care for quite so much salt, rinse your capers. They are in a salt brine solution and it does alter the taste.
    Nora I use a rice blend from the Sunwest Company in California called Harvest Medley. It has Calmati brown rice, wild rice, heirloom red rice, and sweet brown rice. I get it at Costco. It is my all time favourite for it's nuttiness.Goes well with everything!!

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Welcome to my home. Thank you for choosing to stay a while and for sharing our lives through food. I appreciate all your support, comments, suggestions, and daily encouragement.

Val

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