Chicken piccata is one of those comfort food dishes that tastes best after a long, hard day.  Thank goodness Dad and I had plans to cook piccata together because after this wild day I was in need of some comfort!

When I rolled over on Thursday morning and saw 9:00am blinking on the clock I had that same feeling as one does on Christmas morning – it’s going to be a good day. Baby L had slept in later than he had in his entire 11 weeks of life to date. I put on a fresh pair of yoga pants, combed my hair, and went downstairs knowing that everything was looking up!

Together we sang some morning songs, read a book (note we are at 41 of 1000), and then I took him over to his favorite spot: the changing table.  Yes, I’m aware this is a unique trait of my little guy, but he LOVES being changed. After removing his diaper I looked up to the buzzing sound of three yellowjackets dancing on the window above us. At first I paid them no mind, but when one flew threateningly toward us I grabbed the naked baby and ran.  I called Dad (thank GOODNESS he’s retired and lives downstairs) and he came up to help. He grabbed the closest swatter (which ironically happened to be my yoga magazine) and started whacking away as I scuttled the baby to safety.

With the baby down for a nap, dad and I ventured outside to the front porch investigate. A flurry of bees scurrying in and our of a small hole pointed to the source high above our front door. Then, as I stepped back to peer into the troublesome hole my bare foot landed directly onto an unwitting wasp!  Stung, I hobbled upstairs cursing and wincing in pain. This day was not going as I had expected.

Once L was up from his nap, we settled into our favorite spot on the couch. I took the opportunity to elevate my foot and soothe the throbbing pain with some ice while he had some lunch.  Moments after we settled down every single smoke alarm in the house started blaring! Unfortunately this happens often when it’s humid, so I knew it was not a true emergency, but I still wasn’t sticking around.  I grabbed L and our Toby and hobbled downstairs, leaving my ice and my shoes in the dust.

Later that afternoon, the icing on the day’s cake was spread. The backyard gate was wide open, and Toby was outside! He wasn’t in the yard. He was gone! Before panic set in we heard him barking frantically at the FRONT door! I could only laugh with relief and gratitude that our little guy chose not to venture off.

Thankfully this insane day ended with cooking this yummy chicken piccata, a classic dish that I’m amazed isn’t yet on the blog. It came together fairly quickly with a quick batter on the chicken and then a sauce of chicken broth, lemon juice, and capers! We used this recipe from Simply Recipes as a guide but made a few adjustments based on our taste – and we increased the amount of sauce because we both love sauce and were serving it with pasta! We accompanied the piccata with a yummy stove top zucchini and burst cherry tomato dish that I’ll post soon!

You never know how a day will turn out, but it will always be better with piccata.

This recipe is happily brought to the fun over at Fiesta Friday.

Chicken Piccata

• Servings: 2-3
• Time: 20 prep + 20 cook = 40 mins
• Print

Fresh comfort food that can be made on a weeknight or served to guests. This meal has warm flavors and will leave bellies full!

Ingredients

• 4 thin sliced chicken cutlets (apx 1.5 lbs total)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of fresh black pepper
• 3 tablespoons grated Romano cheese (or Parmesan)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 5 tablespoons lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup brined capers – drained
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
• 1 box of spaghetti / linguine

Steps & Notes

1. Make a batter by combining the flour, salt, pepper and cheese.
2. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel then coat each side well with the batter.  Place onto a plate and place in the fridge for 10 – 15 minutes
3. Cook the spaghetti / linguine as directed on the box
4. Remove the chicken from the fridge then heat olive oil to a large skillet. Place the chicken into the pan 2 at a time. Brown the chicken on each side (this takes about 4 minutes).
5. Once all 4 breasts are cooked place on a side plate. Then, add the chicken stock, lemon juice, capers, and 2 tablespoons of butter. Simmer stirring constantly until the sauce reduces by half
   • Note: You can use white wine to replace some or all of the stock
6. Place the chicken on a serving platter over the pasta and pour the sauce on top then sprinkle with parsley and serve with fresh lemon wedges

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Recipe from The Pantry Portfolio @ http://www.pantryportfolio.com