Weather you're cooking for one or for a family of five, it can be difficult to find recipes that are both easy and palate pleasing. Today I'm going to share one of my favorite meals to cook, Chicken Piccata with a side of Broccoli Rabe with Apricots. Not only is this meal a crowd pleaser, but it's relatively quick and simple-not to mention pretty to look at....
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| Easy Chicken Piccata |
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Ingredients
- 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 pound total)
- 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup flour
- Salt and pepper
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or dry white wine
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup brined capers
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms
- 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
- 20 fresh spinach leaves, stems trimmed
Method
1 Cut the chicken breast halves horizontally, butterflying them open. If the breast pieces you are working with are large, you may want to cut them each into two pieces. If the pieces are still thick after butterflying, put them between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them with a meat hammer to 1/4-inch thickness.
2 Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan. Rinse the chicken pieces in water. Dredge them thoroughly in the flour mixture, until well coated.
3 Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add half of the chicken pieces, do not crowd the pan. Brown well on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve to a plate. Cook the other breasts in the same manner, remove from pan. Cover with aluminum foil and keep warm in the oven while you prepare the sauce.
4 Add the chicken stock (or white wine), lemon juice, and capers, mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes to the pan. Use a spatula to scrape up the browned bits. Reduce the sauce by half. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Plate the chicken and serve with the sauce poured over the chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.
Serves 4.
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| Broccoli Rabe (shown with chicken breast) |
Ingredients
Directions
- Heat the tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the apricots, pine nuts, and garlic and cook, stirring, until the pine nuts and garlic are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Add the broccoli rabe, ¼ cup water, and ½ teaspoon salt to the second skillet and cook, covered, until the broccoli rabe is tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the apricots, pine nuts, and garlic.
When cooking this meal, it takes me about 30 minutes to prepare-and only 2 skillets, so clean up is easy as well.
Just for fun, check out this fabulous handmade dinnerware from Vessels and Wares that will make your Piccata and Rabe meal look even more fabulous...
"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story
