Lemon Chicken

Lemon Chicken Cutlets
Real Food Has Curves
Makes: 4 servings

4 5-oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs. unsalted butter, divided
2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
3 Tbs. chopped pitted black olives
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/2 c. dry white wine, dry vermouth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
5 Tbs. lemon juice (the juice from about 2 medium lemons)

1. Place a chicken breast between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap on your work surface, then use the bottom of a heavy saucepan (of the flat side of a meat mallet if you have one) to pound the breast to about 1/4 inch thick.

2. Mix the flour, salt and pepper together on a large dinner plate.

3. Unless you have a gigantic skillet that can accommodate all the pounded breasts at once, melt 1/2 Tbs. butter with 1 Tbs. olives oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

4. Dredge 2 breasts in the flour mixture, coating both sides. Knock off any excess flour. Slip them into the skillet and cook until lightly browned and cook through (you can slice one open to make sure it's white inside), about 4 minutes, turning once. Transfer the breasts to a serving platter or individual plates.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 without cleaning the skillet until all the chicken is cooked.

6. Stir the olives and lemon zest into the skillet; cook for about 20 seconds.

7. Pour in the wine, vermouth, or broth, as well as the lemon juice. Raise the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full, bubbling simmer, scraping the bottom of the skillet occasionally to get any flavorful brown bits up and into the sauce. Cook for about 1 minute, or until slightly reduced. Pour this wet sauce over the breasts.