This chicken piccata recipe is a restaurant-worthy pasta meal you can make in 30 minutes. A splash of heavy cream in the lemon sauce makes it so decadent.
Will DickeyYields: 4 serving(s)Prep Time: 15 minsCook Time: 15 minsTotal Time: 30 minsSavePrintI love food. Have I mentioned this before? I also love lemon, chicken, and pasta recipes. This is a really delicious quick and easy chicken and pasta dish with a strong lemon flavor and the decadence of cream. I had a similar dish at a restaurant in the big city a million years ago and on the drive back to the ranch I started plotting when I could make the dish for myself at home. But that's how I roll. Once one is meal over, planning for the next meal begins.
This is one of the best 30-minute meals that your family will love and ask for over and over and over again. It's so simple, tangy, and pretty darn delectable as far as chicken dinner recipes go. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Most chicken piccata sauces are made with a combination of white wine, butter, and lemon juice, but I have a pathological fear of cooking anything without adding heavy cream! So this one has some heavy cream to thicken it up, and some chicken broth to thin it out. It's light and zesty but still decadent.
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Have a pot of water simmering on the stove for the pasta.
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Step
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If the chicken breasts are overly thick, pound them until slightly flattened. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the salt and pepper, then dredge in the flour.
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Step
3
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Fry 2 chicken breasts at a time until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes on each side (a little longer if the breasts are thicker; a little shorter if the breasts are thinner). Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts, monitoring the oil/butter mixture to make sure it doesn't burn and decreasing the heat as needed.
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4
After removing the chicken, lower the heat to medium-low. Pour in the wine, chicken broth, and lemon juice. Whisk the sauce, scraping the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to medium and allow the sauce to cook, bubble, and thicken until reduced by about half or two-thirds. Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper as it's cooking.
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5
Reduce the heat to low and pour in the heavy cream. Whisk the sauce together and allow it to cook until the sauce thickens and coats the surface of a spoon, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings or other ingredients. Expect the sauce to have a real tang to it; counter it with a little more broth and cream if it's too strong! Sprinkle in some parsley and capers, and stir.
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Step
6
Right at the end, cook the pasta until al dente—do not overcook!
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7
Using tongs, place a medium-sized mound of pasta on a plate. Place a cooked chicken breast beside it, then spoon the sauce over the chicken and the pasta. The sauce is strong, so no need to drown it. Sprinkle a little more parsley over the top.
