My mom makes chicken piccata or “lemon and capers chicken” quite often for dinner. It was always a favorite of mine because of the brightness of the lemon flavor. I decided to recreate this favorite dish with tofu, and it turned out just as good! It’s important to press the tofu really well, or even better, freeze the tofu and defrost it before pressing and slicing it. It helps make the tofu denser in texture and less delicate.

You start by lightly frying the tofu, basically like little tofu cutlets, and then make the lemon sauce, and lastly let the tofu simmer in the sauce to soak up all the delicious flavors. You could add a little white wine to the sauce if you have it on hand, but definitely don’t skip the capers or parsley because they add a perfect balance of flavor and freshness.

I think this will become a staple in our household as well with a well-earned place on the bi-weekly rotation. I hope you think so too!

Ingredients
1/2 package extra firm tofu, pressed very well and sliced
1/4 cup flour
pinch salt and pepper
olive oil
1/3 diced yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup vegetable broth
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp capers
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Cooked spaghetti and roasted asparagus to serve, optional!

Instructions
In a pie plate, stir together flour, salt, pepper. Dredge both sides of the tofu slices in the flour mixture and place on a plate. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, place the tofu in the pan and cook 3-5 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towel. In the skillet, add 2 more Tbsp olive oil and add the onion and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes or until softened. Add the vegetable broth and scrape the bottom of the pan. Simmer for two minutes. Stir in the capers, lemon juice and zest, and then arrange the tofu back into the pan. Let the tofu slices simmer for about 1 minute on each side. Sprinkle with parsley and serve over cooked spaghetti and with roasted asparagus (optional serving suggestion).

Serves 2