Chicken Piccata

Pound the cutlets paper-thin - like, quarter-inch thin. Piccata is supposed to cook in 90 sec in a hot pan, and that only works if the chicken is uniformly thin. Lay it between plastic wrap and use the flat side of a meat mallet. Don't skimp.

Sous vide at 150°–155°F for 90 min. The bath holds the chicken at a juicy 150°F so when you sear it, you only need 30 sec per side for color. Most piccata recipes overcook the chicken because they're trying to hit 165°F internal in the pan.

Capers should bloom in the butter at the end, not the beginning. If you add them too early they get bitter and lose their salty pop. Drop them in the last 30 sec of the sauce reduction so they're warm but still firm.

Use real lemon juice and lots of it. Piccata's whole identity is bright, acidic, lemony brown butter. Two whole lemons for four cutlets is the right ratio. Bottle juice tastes flat and metallic - squeeze fresh and don't second-guess the amount.

Anti-tip: don't try to make piccata with chicken thighs. The dish was designed for thin white meat that picks up the sauce in seconds. Thighs are too rich and the sauce gets lost. Stick with breast cutlets pounded thin.

Pound chicken to even thickness for uniform cooking

Use fresh lemon juice for best flavor

Capers should be rinsed to remove excess salt