Chicken and Tofu Piccata

I can’t really explain why I wanted to make this dish tonight.  Yesterday I wanted to make chicken piccata but I did not have any capers.  Today I picked some fresh capers up at the olive bar, and they were delicious.  Much better than ones you get from a jar.

Back in the early days of this blog, I tried a little harder to make dishes that could be made both for me (The Carnivore) and my wife (The Vegetarian).  This is one of those type dishes.  It is literally the same sauce, same crust on the meat and tofu, same everything.  This can easily be translated into a meat or veggie only meal.   I’ll post them all as one recipe, and you can just chose whether you’ll be using tofu or chicken (or veal).  If you want both, just double the sauce.

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breasts / 1 container extra firm tofu (drained/pressed)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons capers, drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2-3 slices fresh lemon for garnish / extra lemon
Kosher Salt and Fresh ground pepper

Preparing Chicken/Tofu:

Cut tofu slices about 1/4 inch thick, about 8-10 slices for one package.  For Chicken, if you have thick chicken breasts, you can butterfly them to make it easier.  Take each piece and place between plastic wrap.  Pound until 1/4 inch thick, using a meat tenderizer or just the bottom of a pot.

Season chicken/tofu with salt and pepper.  Mix flour and bread crumbs in small bowl.  Dredge chicken/tofu in flour and shake of excess.  Place on a cutting board or plate and let sit 5-10 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  When hot and butter is bubbling, add chicken/tofu and cook about 3 minutes per side.  When cooked, set aside on plate and cover with foil to keep hot.

Remove pan from heat and add 1 more tablespoon butter, stock, wine, lemon juice and capers.  Return to heat and cook until reduced by about 1/3 or 1/2.  Remove from heat and add last tablespoon butter, whisk to combine and then top chicken/tofu with sauce.  Serve with pasta, green beans, or whatever you choose.  Enjoy!!