Kitchen Catastrophe

I have officially made it 5 weeks without repeating a recipe and feel like I have gotten out of the recipe rut that I was in. This past week we had Tacos, Calzones, Chicken Piccata, and a leftover night. Friday night, I headed out for a little Girls Night Out and left everyone to fend for themselves. It felt really good!
This weeks pick of recipes, the Chicken Piccata. I was really looking forward to preparing this as I had a lot of left over chicken broth I wanted to use up and I thought it wold be pretty easy to prepare. I may have overshot that one. I should know better than to put chicken in a skillet with oil...my oil was too hot and the smoke detectors got a work out. Mark came home to one smoky kitchen, and a few scared children! :)  The chicken itself turned out tasty. I substituted the capers with sweet peas. left out the parsley and paired it with some couscous and we had a yummy meal. I would definitely make it again, but instead bake the chicken instead!

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 

• 2 ounces all-purpose flour, divided (about 1/2 cup) 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine 
• 3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers
• 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. 1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Place 1 teaspoon flour in a small bowl, and place remaining flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle both sides of chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour in shallow dish; shake off excess.
2. 2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.
3. 3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots to pan; sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add wine; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup broth to reserved 1 teaspoon flour; stir until smooth. Add remaining 1/2 cup broth to pan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half (about 5 minutes). Stir in flour mixture; cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, juice, and capers. Place 1 chicken breast half on each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 2 tablespoons sauce. Sprinkle each serving with about 2 teaspoons parsley.