Chicken Piccata and Orzo

One of the things I love about cooking is we’re able to make a dish our own by having it fit our taste. Like taking a classic and whipping it up the way we want. Add one ingredient or nix another, we play by our own rules in the kitchen! There is usually some trial and error involved…  Sometimes we score and other times perhaps it would have been best to leave it well alone. But either way, it is fun right?!

This is one of my versions of a familiar dish, Chicken Piccata, which basically translates to breaded sauteed chicken in a sauce. I kept mainly to the tradition but did leave out the white wine, simply because I had none; and, to my preference, used an abundance of regular yellow onions instead of shallots. However, on other occasions I do use the ingredients I just mentioned, so don’t think I’m ruling them out!

Here’s how I did it:

Serves 2-4 people

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded out to about 3/4 inch thickness

Flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

For sauce:

1 small yellow onion, sliced thinly in quarter moons

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 – 2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3/4 – 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Serve with Orzo (1/2 cup per person)

Start out by seasoning the chicken well with salt and black pepper. Then dip into flour to lightly coat, shake excess flour off. Add to a skillet with oil heated to medium heat. Cook about 5 minutes on both sides or until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Juices will run clear when done. Remove chicken from skillet and set in warm place.

Add onions to skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and allow to cook for about 7 min, or until soft. Then add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more being careful not to burn. Add chicken stock and simmer for about ten minutes until the liquid has reduced by more than half. Once reduced add lemon juice and turn heat to low. Allow sauce to cool down and then add heavy cream. If stock is too hot, when added, the cream will separate. Season sauce to taste.

Plate chicken and cooked Orzo and top with sauce. Enjoy!

© Priscilla Sutton and HotBites.WordPress.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Priscilla Sutton and HotBites.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Chicken Linguine in a Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce (infused with rosemary)

It seems I can never get enough pasta lately! I created this recipe one day when my pantry and fridge were running low on food, so I pulled out the ingredients I had and ended up with one of my favorite pasta dishes. That week I probably made it for lunch two more times. There are so many flavors going on in this dish, it’s creamy and fresh tasting from the lemon, and there’s a hint of rosemary to compliment the meatiness of the chicken and stock.

Ingredients: (these may not be exactly precise so you can eyeball it)

Feeds 2-3 people

2 chicken breast cutlets (or pound out 2 small breasts)
1/3 onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 rosemary sprig (leaves attached)
1/4 – 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
Linguine , about 1/2 box
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Boil water and prepare chicken: heat olive oil in skillet on med-high heat, season chicken liberally on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add to hot skillet and cook through and until golden brown, about 2-3 min each side. Remove chicken and set aside. Season boiling water liberally with salt and then add linguine, cook until al dente about 9 min. Add onions into same skillet; cook until fragrant, about two minutes. Add garlic and a pinch of salt, cook, stir occasionally, about 2 min. Add chicken stock and whole rosemary sprig and bring to boil; once the stock is at a boil and the rosemary is fragrant, remove it from the stock; stock should reduce in volume by half or more. Cut chicken into small pieces, do not add yet. Add lemon juice and black pepper to taste (add salt if needed). Turn heat to low and allow to cool for a couple minutes, then add heavy cream (if stock is too hot the cream will seperate). Stir and add chicken to sauce. Check seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed. Add linguine straight to pan and before stirring add parmesan cheese, then mix well. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with some of the parmesan cheese.

© Priscilla Sutton and HotBites.WordPress.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Priscilla Sutton and HotBites.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.