oil, and when the butter melts, add the floured chicken breasts. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until browned. Transfer the chicken to a platter and set aside.
Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and the garlic to the skillet drippings. Sauté the garlic for 30 seconds, being careful not to burn it. Add the chicken broth and capers to the skillet, stirring to mix. Cook the liquid for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until reduced by half. Add the lemon juice and vinegar, and heat through. Return the chicken to the skillet, spooning some of the sauce over the chicken. Cover the skillet and cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat, until the sauce bubbles and the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
If the sauce is too tangy to you, substitute ½ cup white wine for the vinegar to get a milder flavor.
FROM BETH: If using regular boneless chicken breasts, flatten them with a meat mallet to uniform thickness.
chicken pizza
After discovering a delicious chicken pizza on a family beach trip, we decided to create it at home. We love this recipe because it’s so different from traditional pizza—not a tomato in sight. Now we can all enjoy it more than once a year!
SERVES 12 TO 14
2 13.8-ounce cans premade pizza crust dough
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 8 ounces)
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
1 bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into strips
1 red onion, sliced vertically
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, grilled and diced
6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Roll the pizza dough out and fit onto two 15-inch pizza pans. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of garlic on each pizza crust, followed by ½ cup each of the mozzarella cheese and ½ cup of the Cheddar cheese. Scatter half of the bell pepper, sliced onion, chicken, and bacon on top of the cheeses. Sprinkle another ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ½ cup Cheddar cheese over each pizza and drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of olive oil. Bake the pizzas for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crusts are lightly browned. Slice each pizza into 8 pieces.
Pizza doesn’t have to be round! I make this pizza dough into a rectangle and cut it into squares to serve.
linda’s chicken and dressing
Our cousinLinda Paulk brought this chicken and dressing casserole to our family reunion, and I loved it. It combines all the things I love about my grandma Lizzie’s cornbread dressing with the poultry all in one dish. Linda doesn’t use a recipe, but she was kind enough to write one down for me!
SERVES 12
1 hen, about 4 pounds ( see Note )
Salt and pepper
1 8-inch pan prepared cornbread (about 1 pound)
32 saltine crackers, crumbled
10 slices white bread, torn into pieces
8 large eggs, boiled and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, diced
In a large pot with a lid, cover the hen with water and add 1 tablespoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer the hen until tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the meat falls off the bone. Reserve the broth and meat separately and discard the bones.
In a very large bowl, crumble the cornbread, crackers, and bread crumbs. Add the chopped eggs. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and cook the onion and celery until tender, about 7 minutes. Add ¼ cup of the reserved chicken broth and continue cooking until the vegetables are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the onion and celery to the bread mixture. Add 2 cups of the broth and mix well using a sturdy spoon or your hands. Continue adding broth until the mixture is very moist, almost soupy. Put the dressing in a 9 × 13 × 2-inch casserole dish. Press chunks of boiled hen into the dressing, using about three fourths of the meat. Cover the casserole and refrigerate