Chicken Piccata Over Pasta

Chicken Piccata is one of those meals that I always happen to have the ingredients on hand, making this my go-to dish on a “I forgot to go food shopping” night.

Ingredients: (1 serving, multiply as needed)

1 chicken breast

Salt and pepper

All-purpose flour

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 lemon

¾ cup chicken stock

¼ cup white wine

¼ cup brined capers (optional)

Fresh parsley (optional)

1/2 cup pasta (I used lemon-pepper pappardelle)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions. Set aside.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. While it heats up, combine a small amount of flour (maybe 1/4 cup), paprika, parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder in a shallow dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge chicken in flour. Shake off excess flour mixture. Reserve the extra flour mixture for later use.

Add chicken to the heated saute pan. Cook for 3 minutes until browned. Flip and cook for 3 more minutes on the other side. Remove from pan and place in a bake safe dish (you want to use the saute pan to make the sauce). Place chicken in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.

In the original saute pan, add chicken stock. Before juicing the lemon, use some zest from it and add it to the stock– I used a grater. (Be careful to not to down to the white part inside, that is very bitter). Add lemon juice, and capers (if you’d like) and stir, scraping up the brown bits from the chicken. Bring to a boil. Add white wine and again bring to a boil. Add butter one tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly. Reduce heat. While constantly stirring with a whisk, sprinkle flour into the sauce little by little until thickened to your liking.

To assemble dish, pour sauce over pasta and chicken. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon if preferred.

So I have no clue how/why the sauce turned brown. BUT it was amazing. The lemon zest enhances the lemon juice without being too sour. I admit, this isn’t a pretty dish at all, so I don’t think it is exactly one to make for company. But it sure did make my stomach happy after a long Monday. Enjoy!