A clean out the fridge recipe I put together while staying at a friends house. As there were only sketchy ideas for dinner – I did a quick head in fridge survey and came out with a jar of pickled capers. Dinner? You betcha! Discovering enough caper friendly ingredients in the kitchen, all I needed at the store was some chicken and dinner became a cross between chicken piccata and stroganoff, with a side of peas. Feel free to make lots of substitutions – even the capers aren’t necessary, you could use preserved lemon, cornichons (those little tiny pickled cucumbers) or quick pickled onions for that bit of briney, vinegary flavor that cuts through the richness of this one skillet dish. Enjoy the recipe!
Serves 4
Ingredients
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, pounded thin (I used a rolling pin)
50g plain flour
Large pinch salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
Oil as needed
2 medium onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 leek, well rinsed thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled, thinly sliced
2 handfuls button mushrooms, thinly sliced
Pasta, dried or fresh, fusilli, penne whatever is in the pantry or freezer to serve 4
Chicken or veggie stock or water as needed
Half glass white wine, optional
2 lemons, zest, and juice of one, the other thinly sliced in half circles
3 good spoonfuls of soured cream or full-fat plain yogurt or dairy-free option
Herbs, fresh or dried
3Tbsp Capers!
Method
Using a rolling pin or mallet, pound chicken pieces until thin and transfer to a plate. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, and paprika, then dredge the chicken pieces in the flour and return to plate. Cover and chill until needed.
Cook dried pasta to al dente now while onions are sizzling. Drain, drizzle with oil, cover, and keep warm.
Heat the skillet add a glug of oil and sauté onions until soft, add leek until soft then add garlic and mushrooms adding oil if needed. Add half cup of stock, stir and reduce add wine, and more stock as needed to reduce until ingredients are tender and golden brown.
Transfer to a dish, wipe skillet with a paper towel, return to medium-high heat. Add a glug of oil and when it shimmers add the chicken pieces in batches, cooking until golden brown on both sides and cooked through 4-6 minutes each side. Transfer to a clean plate. Return veggies to skillet, stirring lemon juice and zest, sour cream, herbs, and capers, add stock to thin and season to taste. Arrange chicken pieces on top, scatter with lemon slices, then cover and let simmer for a few minutes before serving on a bed of pasta. Yum.