A Zesty Little Meal | Easy Chicken Piccata

I have always loved piccata. I used to order it at restaurants as a teenager and pick all the capers off. It was not until a few years ago that I got brave enough to taste one of the berries and boy oh boy, was it love at first bite. If you have never had capers, they are like tart little pickles. They add the most wonderful flavor to a number of dishes I make. But for all those years…I shoved them off to the side, doomed for the garbage. Poor capers!

One of my big gripes with restaurant piccata is the overuse of sauce. Usually my noodles get to me glistening with butter, which isn’t very appetizing to me. I finally found the perfect recipe to make this at home, and still have it taste great minus all the grease. Here is one of my favorite meals!

Chicken Piccata

Found in Everyday Food Magazine HERE
Serves 4

Ingredients

  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 ounces linguine
  • 3 packed cups loose baby spinach (about 5 ounces), torn into pieces
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

Directions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Season cutlets with salt and pepper, then dip into flour, turning to coat; shake off excess.
  • In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add half the chicken; cook until lightly browned and opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and chicken (reserve skillet for sauce).
  • Meanwhile, cook linguine in boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Add spinach, and stir until submerged. Drain pasta mixture and return to pot. Toss with 1 tablespoon butter; season generously with salt and pepper. Add some reserved pasta water if necessary. Cover to keep warm.
  • Into skillet, pour wine and lemon juice. Cook over medium-high, stirring to loosen browned bits, until liquid has reduced to 1/3 cup, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat; swirl in 2 remaining tablespoons butter until melted. (For a smoother sauce, strain through a fine-mesh sieve, if desired.) Add capers, and season with salt and pepper. Divide chicken and linguine among four serving plates; top chicken with sauce.

My Tweaks

  • I use a multi grain, omega 3 fortified pasta instead of linguine. Usually this one.
  • Be sure to cut the chicken breasts very thin for proper cooking.
  • I always double the sauce ingredients.
  • Instead of measuring out 2 TBSP of lemon juice, I just squeeze two lemons. I have found that the more lemons you use, the less sauce you need since the tart flavor is very powerful, thus cutting your consumption of butter.
  • I always add double, sometimes triple the capers.
  • I am not a fan of the spinach in this, so I will often serve a spinach salad on the side, & throw a light vinaigrette together.
  • If you season the chicken well, you will need less sauce on the pasta, as the chicken (covered in sauce) will be all the flavor you need in each bite. Sometimes I will just add pasta water & salt/pepper to the pasta & leave out the extra butter.
  • If you want to get real fancy, you could add some caramelized red onions & fresh grated Parmesan. Drooling yet??

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Hi! Hello! I am Shawna, the founder of Styleberry Blog. This creative corner of the internet has become a learning haven for moms and creatives, offering a warm and encouraging nudge to those who wish to be better and do better, but often don't know where to start. From Decorating to DIY to Diapers and Paleo-ish Dishes, I strive to make the complicated simple and empower women to take action beyond their personal comfort zone. I subscribe to the Shine Theory & so strongly believe that we shine when the women around us shine and mutual support—lifting up instead of tearing down--will always be the culture here. Are you in? I hope so! Beyond the computer, I run Styleberry Creative where I work with clients to create low fuss, high function spaces that are pretty and practical in San Antonio, Texas and beyond. I LOVE making a house a home. My own studs out renovation is now complete and I am now back to working with clients. Please don't hesitate to drop me a line if you'd like to work together! I hope you’ll join me on this fun new adventure! Xo.

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