Ed Smith’s lemon and sage piccata.

Typically, I’ll serve sauteed spinach and mashed potatoes with this, but it’s great with many combinations of potato, green vegetable, leaves and/or bouncy bread for soaking up the juices.

Prep 10 min

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2 large skinless chicken breasts (370–425g)

Flaky sea salt and black pepper

3 tbsp plain flour

2–3 tbsp neutral oil

40g butter, cubed

12 sage leaves

1 shallot, peeled and finely diced

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

2 tbsp baby capers (AKA nonpareilles), drained

100ml chicken stock, or water or white wine

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

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1. Before you start preparing and cooking the chicken, make sure any sides you plan to serve alongside are in hand, because the chicken cooks very quickly. Butterfly the chicken breasts: hold each one flat on a board with one hand and use a long, sharp knife to cut it in half horizontally. Cut each half-breast in two and use a rolling pin or meat tenderiser to bash the thicker parts so the pieces of chicken are an even 1cm thick all over. Season the chicken very generously all over.

2. Spread the flour on a plate, then dredge the chicken pieces in it, shaking off any excess.

3. Set a heavy-based skillet or frying pan on a medium-high heat – you can cook in two batches. Add the oil, half the butter and half the sage leaves to the hot pan and, once the butter has melted and started to foam, push the sage to one side and fry the chicken for a minute and a half on each side, plus another 30-60 seconds for luck – it won’t take longer than four minutes in total. Transfer the chicken and sage to a warm plate and repeat.

4. When the chicken is resting and all the sage is out of the pan, add the shallot to the remaining fat and fry, stirring occasionally, for 45 seconds. Add the garlic and lemon zest, cook for a minute more, then pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Leave to simmer energetically for two minutes, to deglaze the pan and reduce the liquid by a third, then whisk in the remaining butter. Add the capers and lemon juice, pour the sauce over the chicken breasts and serve at once.