Picatta di Petto di Pollo alla Griglia

I

’ve been spending some time thinking about George Germon and Johann Killeen lately. Probably because yesterday was the fourth consecutive day (today is day five) of windy, rainy, gloomy weather here, and because most of the food that Mr. Germon and Ms. Killeen cook involves a wood-fired grill. Grilling always brightens my spirits.

Part of their success at Al Forno, their restaurant in Providence, R.I., derives from their interpretation of classic Italian dishes. Those interpretations involve grilling, rather than pan-searing various meats before combining them with other ingredients to finish cooking. The nightly menu at Al Forno nearly always features dishes that begin with adjectives like, "Grilled and braised…" or "Grilled and roasted…"

So when I walked into Universal Food Store of Noank yesterday, and my friend Frankie began touting some Bell & Evans chicken breasts, I asked myself, "What would George and Johann do with these?" The answer seemd obvious: "Grill the babies." Of course, grilled chicken breasts are about as exciting as Al Gore, so the next question involved what to do with grilled chicken breasts.

It seemed imprudent to stand outdoors in 35-knot winds and horizontal rain, tending a fire for simple, grilled chicken breasts, so I began to think about the classics, and how they might fare when their primary component had been grilled rather than pan-seared. I thought Chicken Picatta, or Chicken Marsala would be likely choices. I scrapped Chicken Saltimboca because I couldn’t get my mind around the notion of combining a smoky flavor with prosciutto. (It should go without saying, by the way, that technically, none of these dishes are truly Italian.)

And my decision became easier when I realized I didn’t have any Marsala. (and it also seemed imprudent to walk back up the hill to Universal Package Store) The winning candidate then, was Picatta di Petto Pollo alla Griglia, grilled chicken breast with lemon and white wine sauce.

Beyond the fact that its taste will take your breath away, this turns out to be a great technique to use for entertaining. You can grill the chicken breasts at your leisure and keep them, wrapped and refrigerated, until serving time. The dinner guests get to see the glamorous part of the process when—like a maitre 'd in a tuxedo working tableside—you reheat the chicken breasts in reduced white wine and lemon juice, then go right to the plate. The same would hold true for Chicken Marsala, in which case you could simply reheat grilled chicken breasts in a reduction of unsalted butter and Marsala wine.

Note: In the interest of full disclosure, I grilled my chicken breasts indoors on my stovetop gratella. Sure, they would have tasted smokier if I had cooked them outdoors over hardwood charcoal, but if that had been my only alternative last night, I would have cooked a dish of pasta.

Picatta di Petto di Pollo alla Griglia

Ingredients:

4 Chicken breasts
Olive Oil
2 Tbs. Rosemary, leaves only, finely chopped
2 Tbs. Unsalted butter
2/3 Cup dry white wine
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 Tbs. Lemon rind, finely chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper, and, using the side of a cleaver or a meat mallet, pound them to a uniform thickness of approximately 3/8 in. Place the breasts in a sheet pan, and add enough olive oil to coat them thoroughly. Sprinkle the rosemary over the breasts, season with salt and pepper, and marinate at room temperature for approximately one hour.

Start a charcoal fire. When the coals have developed a gray coating, and you can’t hold your open palm six inches over the fire for a count of five, the fire is ready.

Grill the chicken breasts for approximately two minutes per side, then remove from the grill and reserve, wrapped in plastic wrap.

When it’s time to finish the dish, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted and foamed, and the foam has subsided, add the chicken breasts, shaking the pan and turning them to coat with the butter.

Raise the heat to high, and add the white wine. Allow the wine to boil for a minute or two to evaporate the alcohol. Add the lemon juice and rind, and continue boiling, shaking the pan and turning the chicken breasts from time to time, until the sauce has reduced, and become syrupy. Remove from the heat.


To Serve:

Spoon about 1 Tbs. of the sauce over each breast, then divide equally among four dinner plates.

When I cooked this yesterday, I served Tuscan roasted potatoes and sautéed spinach. It would be equally good with a simple crust of rustic bread and a green salad.

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