Budget Eats:
Chicken Piccata
Level
Easy
Time
35 Min
SErves
4
Budget Eats: Chicken Piccata
Are you looking for budget friendly ways to enjoy restaurant style foods at home? Then look no further than this blog series. Each post will feature one of our family favorite meals –kid tested and approved — and the budget for creating the recipe at home.
The first featured recipe is Chicken Piccata. Al dente pasta, flavorful and tender chicken, and a light, lemony and buttery sauce make this an instant hit for all ages.
One of my favorite things to do with my kids is cook. Not only does this teach them life lessons and allow for precious memories to be made, but I have found that my kids are more likely to try new things if they get to experience the process of making it. We all need less picky eaters, right?
This recipe is a fun one to bring the kids in the kitchen with you. Let them pound out the chicken into thin cutlets, or throw the pasta on the wall to see if it sticks. If it sticks, it’s ready!
The recipe below calls for white wine. If you don’t have wine, simply substitute chicken stock. No need for a special trip to the liquor store unless you need some wine for yourself.
If you or any of your loved ones have gluten or dairy intolerance, this recipe has some easy swaps to make this compliant. For the GF families, replace regular flour with cassava flour for a flawless replacement. And use GF pasta or zoodles. When my garden is overgrown with zucchini, I am making loads of zoodles. The refreshing lemony burst paired with the delicious buttery texture in this sauce compliments the zucchini very well.
For the dairy free families, swap out the butter for ghee, if you can tolerate that, or a rich olive oil. This will be the darker one in the grocery store.
The quick cook time, of only 35 minutes, allows you to enjoy this dish any day of the week.
From my kitchen to yours, enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 shallot, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 stick butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 2 lemons, one halved and one sliced into coins
- Olive oil
- Angel hair pasta, 3/4 package
- 1 jar non-pareil capers
- 1/4 cup dry or semi-dry white wine. (Chicken stock replacement, optional)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Step 1
-
Fill a pasta pot with water and cook on high until water comes to a rolling boil.
Step 2
- While the water heats, clean and slice chicken, longways, into cutlets. One at a time, cover chicken cutlet with plastic wrap and, using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound until thin. Repeat until all cutlets are uniform thickness.
Step 3
- In a shallow dish, I like to use paper plates or pie pans, add flour, garlic powder and salt and pepper to your taste. Mix together. In another shallow dish, whisk together 2 eggs.
Step 4
-
Heat a skillet with enough olive oil (or light cooking oil) to cover the bottom of the pan on medium high heat.
Step 5
-
Lightly coat the chicken cutlet in flour, then dredge in egg and one final coat of flour. Place breaded chicken in the hot pan. Don’t overcrowd the pan or your coating will not brown well. I do 2 chicken cutlets at a time.
Cook 3 to 4 mins on each side. Then place on a plate or cooking sheet to rest while you finish the rest of your cutlets.
Step 6
- When all cutlets are cooked, wipe out any flour left in the pan. Then add 2 TBSP of olive oil and butter to the plan. Once butter is melted add shallots and garlic. Cook until aromatic. Add in wine (or chicken stock) and simmer until the wine has cooked down. About 1 minute.
Step 7
- When pasta water comes to a boil, salt the water heavily and add pasta. Cook per package instructions. When al dente, drain and set aside.
Step 8
-
Drain capers, reserving half the brine. Add capers and reserved brine to the skillet with butter mixture. Add lemon coins. And simmer for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
*Make sure to taste before adding salt since you are adding caper brine. *
Step 9
-
Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the sauce mixture. Taste and season, as needed. Add chicken back to skillet and coat with sauce and simmer for one minute.
Finishing
-
Serve by pouring sauce over pasta and topping with chicken, lemon coins, and parmesan (optional).
Dinner Budget: $10 or less for a family of 4!
0 Comments