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Chicken piccata is one of those classic Italian dishes that is a real hit every time we make it. This dish has a creamy sauce seasoned with the fresh flavors of capers, lemon juice, and parsley. This wonderful dish also gets some crunch with the addition of pine nuts on top.
The chicken for this recipe is dredged in flour and fried before being added to the sauce and pasta, giving yet another level of tastiness to the whole dish. Served with some thin spaghetti and a wedge of lemon on each helping, this sophisticated dinner is easy to make and so delicious.
This is Florence Henderson’s own recipe, first published in Star Palate: Celebrity Cookbook for a Cure, a cookbook to benefit cancer research.
In her role on The Brady Bunch Mrs. Brady would have likely left all the cooking to the trusted family maid, Alice. But, in real life Henderson was enthusiastic about cooking, even writing her own cookbook in 1998!
For this recipe you will need 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2″ thickness. Once they are dredged in a mixture of cream and eggs, then in a seasoned flour mix, fry them for 8-10 minutes on each side or until meat reaches an internal temperature of 165˚F. Then place the chicken breasts in a warm (not hot) oven to stay at serving temperature while you make the sauce.
The sauce is made in the same pan as the chicken. Over medium-low heat mix butter, lemon juice, chicken stock, and garlic, cooking for 3 minutes and stirring constantly. Add capers and half the parsley and cook for 1 minute more, stirring the whole time.
Next you toss the pasta with olive oil and chopped parsley. To plate add a nest of pasta to each dish and top with sauce, followed by one chicken breast, a sprinkle of pine nuts, and a slice of lemon. It’s a nice touch to add the lemon wedges as a smidge of extra lemon juice adds more brightness to the dish.
This wonderful dinner is ready in under an hour from start to finish, making it an excellent recipe for weeknights- while being special enough for weekend meals as well.
Florence Henderson's Chicken Piccata
Yield(s): Serves 4
25m prep time
20m cook time
Allergens: Milk
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 chicken broth
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, divided
- 1/2 lb thin spaghetti
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 4 lemon wedges
Preparation
- Combine cream and egg in a low-sided bowl or baking dish. In a separate low dish mix together flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken breasts one by one by dipping them first in the cream mixture and then in the flour mixture.
- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Cook chicken for 8-10 minutes on each side or until internal temperature reaches 165˚F. Remove chicken from pan and place on oven-safe plate in warm (not hot) oven.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the rest of the butter, as well as the lemon juice, chicken stock, and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes stirring constantly. Add capers and half the parsley and cook for 1 minute more, stirring the whole time.
- Prepare and drain pasta to package directions.
- Toss pasta with 1/4 cup olive oil and the rest of the parsley. Divide pasta equally among 4 plates, then top each serving with the sauce, followed by the chicken breasts. Sprinkle pine nuts over top and garnish with one lemon wedge to finish each serving.
Recipe adapted from Delaware Online.