Chicken Piccata

I absolutely love Chicken Piccata so I wanted to try and make it at home...which by the way I found to be much healthier than when you order it at a restaurant.  This is such a fresh dish with all the lemon taste and the light sauce.  I really like the taste of lemon so this dish is certainly full of it but don't worry, you can tone it down a bit if you'd like.  I served this with the Feta Bruschetta recipe that I have on here and it was a delicious compliment to this yummy dish.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Chicken Piccata


What you will need:
3 chicken breasts
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp Butter
2-3 lemons juiced
1 cup Chicken Broth (I prefer the reduced sodium and less fat kind)
5 tbsp of Capers (drained)
Flour
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Linguini Noodles

First, cut your chicken breasts into thirds then grab a large cutting board, saran wrap, and a meat tenderizer.  Place 3-4 pieces of chicken with about 2-3 inches of space between them onto the cutting board.  Completely cover them with saran wrap leaving excess saran wrap around the edges.  Take the meat tenderizer and beat the chicken to make it flat and thin.  You do not have to beat it a lot, just so it spreads out and is flat so it can cook quick.  Place the beaten pieces of chicken onto a plate and repeat the process until all of your chicken has been thinned out.

  

In a medium sized bowl, pour about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of flour in and add 1 tsp of Ground Black Pepper, 1 tsp Garlic Powder, 1 tsp Onion Powder.  Next grate the rind of one lemon into the bowl so you get the zest.  Mix it all together with a fork.

Now you can put a piece of chicken into your flour mixture and coat thoroughly on both sides.  After you have it coated, place the piece of chicken onto a plate and repeat the process of coating the chicken with flour until all of your pieces are coated.  Set this aside.

Next place a large sauté pan on the stove top and add 4 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Turn your heat on medium-high and grab the plate of coated chicken.  After the oil is hot but not burning, add pieces of chicken with tongs or a fork one by one until you cover the pan's surface.  I usually have to do 2 batches of chicken.  Let the chicken cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side and then flip them over using tongs or a fork and cook for 3-4 more minutes.  After the chicken is cooked, remove each piece and set onto a large clean plate.  Repeat this process until all of the chicken is cooked.  I usually add more olive oil to the pan for each new batch.  Once you have pulled all of the chicken out, you can turn the burner onto low/simmer for the next step.

Now grab a sauce pot and begin boil your linguine noodles using the directions on the box.  The great thing about noodles is that you can let them be and you can go back to cooking your chicken.

Go back to your sauté pan and add 1 cup of Chicken Broth, 2 tbsp Butter, Juice from 2-3 lemons (love lemons? use 3), and 5 tbsp Capers.   Be sure to mix it all up while scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the browned pieces left from cooking the chicken.  Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for about 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes your sauce should be a little thicker.  Now add all of the chicken back to your sauté pan with the sauce.  Let this cook together covered on low for about 5 more minutes.

By now your noodles should be ready and you can drain them and you are ready to serve!  Place a nest of noodles about the size of your fist on a plate and then place 2 pieces of chicken on it.  Next you can drizzle the sauce over it and serve.   This dish makes enough for about 4-6 people.  I served this with the Feta Bruschetta as an appetizer and a glass of Cupcake Vineyards' Red Velvet Wine.  I hope you enjoy this delicious meal!