Breast in Show

Boneless chicken breasts could well be called the little black dress of home cooking. And Americans consume so many, you have to wonder where all the dark meat goes. Prepare the versatile cuts with capers, white wine, and slices of sauteed lemon, and you have a light spring piccata. For a dinner party, simmer them in a dark and delectable sauce of mushrooms and Marsala. And instead of falling back on pasta (the blue jeans of the kitchen cupboard) as the main dish for an easy family meal, add a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce to quickly cooked cutlets and serve the pasta on the side.

TO PREPARE BONELESS BREASTS

Lay half of a chicken breast on a cutting board. Holding a knife parallel to the board, slice the breast in half, but don't cut all the way through; the two pieces should remain connected so that you can open them like a book. Set the breast between two sheets of heavy plastic wrap. Using the bottom of a cast-iron skillet or the side of a cleaver or large chef's knife, pound the chicken to flatten it to a 1/4-inch thickness. Use as directed.

CHICKEN PICCATA
SERVES 4

6 tablespoons butter
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1/2 cup flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, butterflied and pounded (see above)
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large heavy-based skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. When it is foaming, add the lemon slices and cook over medium-high heat for 4 minutes, turning often, until the slices turn golden. Remove them from the pan and keep warm.

In a large shallow bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and pepper. Dip the breasts into the flour to coat them all over. Pat off the excess flour.

Reheat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and when it is hot, add 1 tablespoon of butter. When the butter is foaming, add half of the chicken breasts and cook, turning often, for 5 to 6 minutes or until they are browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and brown the remaining breasts in the same way.

Add the capers and wine to the skillet, scraping any brown bits clinging to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the wine mixture to 1/4 cup. Add the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Let it bubble steadily for 2 minutes or until it thickens slightly. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. Swirl the mixture until the butter melts.

Return the chicken to the pan. Reheat it in the simmering sauce, turning several times, for 3 minutes or until the chicken is hot again. Sprinkle with parsley and serve at once.

CHICKEN MARSALA
SERVES 4

1/4 pound pancetta or bacon, chopped
1/2 cup flour Salt and pepper, to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, butterflied and pounded (see left)
6 tablespoons butter
1 pound mushrooms (a mixture of shiitake, portobello, and white mushrooms), stemmed and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large heavy-based skillet, cook the pancetta or bacon over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 4 minutes or until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels. Do not wipe out the pan.

In a large shallow bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and pepper. Dip the breasts into the flour to coat them all over. Pat off the excess flour.

Turn the heat under the skillet to medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter. When it is foaming, add half of the chicken breasts and cook them, turning often, for 5 to 6 minutes or until they are browned and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep warm.

Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the pan and brown the remaining breasts in the same way.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the mushrooms release their liquid. Turn up the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid almost evaporates.

Add the garlic and pancetta or bacon to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the wine and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the liquid to 1/4 cup. Add the chicken broth and return to a boil. Let the mixture bubble steadily for 2 minutes. Stir in the cream and cook, shaking the pan, until the mixture returns to a boil. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if you like.

Return the chicken to the pan. Reheat it in the simmering sauce, turning several times, for 3 minutes or until the chicken is hot again. Sprinkle with parsley and serve at once.

Ask the Cook: Cool It

What is the chemical reason for cooling hot chicken soup at room temperature before refrigerating or freezing it in order to prevent the soup from turning sour?
ALICE CUSNER /// Sharon

There are several reasons for cooling a soup before freezing or refrigerating, and they mainly have to do with food safety. Hot chicken soup is an excellent example of a food that, if not properly handled, is likely to cause food-borne illness. Souring is a response to improper handling. Protein-based soup improperly cooled is a nearly ideal growth medium for harmful bacteria that can cause illness and spoilage. It is warm, moist, exposed to oxygen, and contains food for the organisms to consume. The standard advice to cool a soup at room temperature is basically sound, but modern food-safety codes recommend accelerating the process. Reduce the volume to be cooled by separating the soup into smaller containers. If possible, the containers should be immersed in an ice bath and stirred frequently so the temperature drops as quickly as possible.

Placing the soup in a covered container on a refrigerator shelf allows the outside to cool, but the interior remains hot for hours, which can cause souring. In addition, the hot soup will heat up everything around it. Considering that raising the temperature of dairy products even a degree or two significantly shortens their shelf life, precooling makes sense. It is best to drop the temperature to 70 degrees or below within two hours, then refrigerate at 40 degrees or less, or freeze the soup.

By Peter J. Kelly, a chef-instructor at Johnson & Wales University.