Simple chicken recipe looks great, tastes great

When you have eaten your fill of boiled corned beef and cabbage, wiped the last crumb of Irish soda bread off your chin, and drained the last drop of green beer in your glass, maybe you’d like a nice chicken dish with fresh lemon flavor to brighten your mud season.

My friend Libby King in Falmouth makes this for company and family suppers alike, and even though it has a few dressy refinements, it really is quite simple to assemble and is a great do-ahead dish. The recipe seems very specific but after you have made this once, you won’t need a recipe again. You can eyeball it, and adjust the recipe according to your taste.

Present this on a big platter with the lemon slices strewn around and generously sprinkled with parsley and it will look beautiful. Serve with rice, a pilaf, couscous, small pasta or, in summer, potato salad. A bright green vegetable such as asparagus in the spring, broccoli or green beans are good accompaniments, and a great addition is bright yellow ones such as sweet potatoes, squash or carrots.

You can begin with boneless breasts or thighs or a combination of the two, which you slice horizontally to create two filets. Those are then pounded gently to make them thinner.

You want to hear what I did with the leftovers? I had served the lemon chicken with tiny pasta bows, into which I mixed oven-roasted summer squash from my freezer, and asparagus also from the freezer. The next day, I put a bit of olive oil in a heavy saute pan, added some finely minced onion and cooked it until it was just tender. I sliced the leftover chicken filets into finger-size pieces. I put the leftover pasta and vegetables into the pan, scraped all the good juices and capers from the baking pan into the saute pan, then stirred in the chicken pieces. I added some of our own good frozen green beans for good luck. I drizzled a little cream over it just to moisten it all a bit, and added a little grated jack cheese. When it was hot through, we ate supper. Jamie said, “I like this even better than the chicken alone.”

Lemon Chicken

Serves 5 to 6.

2 pounds boneless chicken

About 1/4 cup flour

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

3 tablespoons capers with juice

1 cup white wine

1 lemon sliced thinly

Several stalks parsley, finely minced

Slice each piece of boneless chicken horizontally. Put the slices between two pieces of waxed paper and gently pound them with a mallet or rolling pin. Toss together flour, salt and pepper and dip each piece in the mixture, shaking off excess. Put a little olive oil in a heavy skillet, and get it quite hot. Cook the chicken slices for three to four minutes each side. Remove them to a baking dish. Add capers, juice and wine to the pan, and cook until you can scrape up the little stuck-on bits. Pour it over the chicken in the baking dish. Lay the lemon slices all over the chicken. Put in the fridge covered until you are ready to reheat it for dinner. Preheat the oven to about 350, and put the chicken into the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until it is heated through. Lay the chicken on the platter, drizzle over the juices, and lemon slices. Sprinkle with minced parsley.