{recipe} chicken piccata

I’m surrounded with so many signs of springs.

New flowers and pretty blooms, burst of yellow colors everywhere like these lemons I purchased at Costco. I wish we had a lemon tree, but since we don’t, I’ll be happy purchasing them at the farmers market or Costco.

Any recommendations for lemon recipes? I think I’m going to try to make lemon bars too.

Today, I want to share a recipe that I’ve made a few times, it’s pasta dish that uses plenty of lemons, it’s light and pack with lots/strong flavors. I first made this dish when we moved to our new house last July. I made it when the kitchen items were only half unpacked, that shows you how easy it is to make this dish. It’s not complicated.

The hubby loves this dish and said it’s restaurant quality. Our little toddler also approves of this dish. It’s now on our current dinner rotation. You’ll see two types of pasta in the picture because I was trying to use up 1/4 of a box of pasta, but I usually make these with multi grain, omega 3 fortified pasta.

The plate below is how I serve the dish for myself. I cut the pasta serving in half and add a few cups of spinach that I’ve sauteed with garlic and olive oil and topped it with lots of capers.

Chicken Piccata

(adapted from MarthaStewart.com)

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 (I use a multi grain, omega 3 fortified pasta)
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

**My notes: I always double the sauce ingredients and capers. I cut the chicken breasts very thin. I’ve made it with/without spinach, like it better when I cook the spinach on the side instead of cooking with pasta.

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 pasta 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.