Chicken Piccata

Last summer, during one of my first trips to Trader Joe’s, I picked up a jar of sauce to make Chicken Piccata. I can’t remember the exact name of the sauce; it could have just been labeled “Piccata”. While I have loved almost everything I’ve ever tried at TJ’s, this one was not a winner. I love all things lemon so I had been excited to try the sauce and quite disappointed when it didn’t turn out well. Since it was my first time trying the dish, I thought maybe that was just the way Chicken Piccata was supposed to taste. It smelled really good, but the wine flavor was a little overwhelming.

A couple weeks ago, I randomly got a craving for Chicken Piccata, or at least, I got a craving for what I expected Chicken Piccata to actually taste like. I decided to give it another try, making the sauce on my own this time, and after browsing the internet for a while, I settled on one I found from Cooking Light. Any time I’m trying something new and looking for a recipe, I tend to rely on Cooking Light because I have liked the majority of their recipes. This one was no different.

I was a little nervous while the sauce was cooking because all I could smell was the wine, and I worried it would be a repeat of my first experience. I was even more nervous that Ryan wouldn’t like it because he just doesn’t feel the same way about lemon that I do. Luckily, this recipe was a big hit. The wine, lemon, and capers complement each other really well and give the chicken a really awesome flavor. The sauce was a tiny bit sour, but the pasta tempered that a bit and was a nice addition. This is the perfect light-tasting meal for a warm summer night.

Per usual, I did make a few changes to the original recipe. First, I did not dredge my chicken in flour. I was able to give my chicken a nice brown crust without the extra calories, but if you are using nonstick pans, you might be better of using the flour since it’s not as easy to brown things in them as it is in stainless. I also doubled the quantities for the sauce so that we would have plenty for serving over the pasta.

Chicken Piccata

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon light butter
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup white wine
½ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup capers
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces uncooked pasta, prepared according to package instructions

Place each breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add white wine, 1/4 cup lemon juice, capers, and garlic to pan; scrape pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for 2 minutes or until slightly thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve chicken over pasta. Top with sauce.

Source: Cooking Light
4 servings | 9 POINTS