Born and raised in New York City, Chef Peter Jackson has always been passionate about food. After running a successful delicatessen in New York and earning a Bachelor’s Degree from Curry College in Massachusetts, he settled in North Carolina to further his career in the culinary arts. For a time he worked as the Executive Chef for the CooperRiis Residental Healing Community in Mill Spring. We are grateful to have Chef Jackson on our team creating delicious recipes for our Health Center residents! Check out his recipe for Chicken Picatta below.

Chicken Picatta (4 servings)

Ingredients

– 2 tablespoons Fresh minced garlic

– 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

– 2 tablespoons of Capers

– 4 Finely chopped shallots but can use red onions in a pinch

– Flour for dredging

–  ½ tablespoon salt or to taste

– ½ tablespoon pepper or to taste

– ¼ cup melted butter

– 3 tablespoons olive oil

– 2 cups chicken stock

– 1 cup (approx.) dry white wine (Chardonnay)

– 4 chicken breasts

Instructions:

1. Dredge chicken in flour. Heat large pan add butter and olive oil. Fry chicken in the butter olive oil mix until browned on each side then put chicken aside for the time being. Do not throw away that butter olive oil mix with all those crispy chicken bits in and keep low heat on it!!

2. Add finely chopped shallots and crispy chicken bits to the olive oil butter mix and sauté until translucent. Add minced garlic and sauté for 45 more seconds. Add capers, chicken stock, lemon juice and chardonnay. Simmer for 15 minutes or until alcohol is cooked out. For a thicker sauce: make a roux made of 1/2 a cup flour 1/3 lb of melted butter and add to sauce. Let simmer while whisking until sauce has thickened and flour is cooked out.

Note: throughout the process of cooking this meal you must continuously taste and adjust.

3. Coat the bottom of glass casserole pan with a non-stick oil spray or use melted butter. Lay chicken breasts in pan and bake at 325 degrees for ten minutes. Add Picatta sauce and serve with buttered linguine noodles and roasted broccolini.