Creamy Lemon Caper Chicken

Every now and then my husband will bring up a random ingredient, asking how I would use it. It’s kind of like a fun game we play… like a verbal Iron Chef battle of sorts. The other night, he brought up the ingredient, capers. We got to talking about capers and the dishes I’ve made incorporating them. And as usual, when an ingredient is stuck in my head, the only way to get past it is to physically play in the kitchen with it! As a result, I made this Creamy Lemon Caper Chicken for dinner. The creamy lemon caper sauce livens up a plain chicken dish with a boost of flavor…

This recipe was inspired by a  Swiss Pork Schnitzel I found online. I made a few substitutions and additions including swapping out the pork with chicken, switching the dill for capers and adding a touch of garlic powder. With all the changes, it came out wonderfully! You can certainly use this over pork cutlets if you prefer.

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons cooking oil
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon capers
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
juice of 1 lemon
lemon slices for serving
Pound the chicken breasts to 1/4-1/8 inch thickness with a meat mallet.

Set out 3 shallow bowls. Fill one with a mixture of the flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder; the second with the egg and milk whisked together; and the third with a mixture of the bread crumbs and paprika.

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Dredge the cutlets first in the seasoned flour, then dip the cutlets in the egg mixture, and then into the mixture of bread crumbs and paprika.

Working in batches, sauté the cutlets for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove the cutlets from the skillet and cover with foil or place in a warm oven to keep warm.

Add the chicken stock into the skillet to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the brown bits. In a small bowl mix the thyme, capers, lemon zest and salt into the sour cream. Stir the sour cream mixture into the chicken stock. Heat and stir until mixture thickens – do not let it boil. Just before it’s finished, add the lemon juice and stir.

Serve the cutlets with the sauce over the top and lemon slices on the side.