Chicken Piccata for a Crowd!
My plan was to make this week’s recipe, found here at the blog Life in the Lofthouse, on Saturday night. My aunt and uncle were visiting from New Jersey for a few days and staying with my parents. Then I received a text from my sister asking if she and my three nieces could stay with me for the weekend for an impromptu mini family reunion. OF COURSE!!!! So it was decided, EVERYONE, all 10 of us, would sample this week’s recipe at my mom’s.
This past weekend was just what this girl needed... laughs, yummy food, a chick flick, a forecasted blizzard that never came, time with extended family, and snuggles with my sister’s youngest daughter. And to top it off, this week’s recipe was delicious! I’m not sure that I would suggest making it for 10 people, but it is definitely worth a try.
Mom
Making plans is good. It's something my daughter and I do very well. Plans give you that organized and safe feeling. Plans allow you to feel in control. The thing about plans though, is that they sometimes need to change to reflect changing circumstances. When that happens, flexibility is the key!
Our menu plan, this week was chicken piccata, one of my favorite dishes to order when out for dinner. I like to make our weekly menu choice on Thursdays, which then gives me lots of time to write my comments. This week, my sister and brother-in-law, were arriving, on Thursday, from New Jersey, for a short visit before traveling on to Rangeley, Maine, to meet their son's family for a bit of snowmobiling. Realizing that, I had a great idea! Why don't we all cook together and then have a family menu review? My daughter agreed. So, instead of piccata for two, we were planning on cooking piccata for six. Great! And then I heard from one of my Portland daughters, asking if there was room for four more. Of course! So, instead of chicken piccata for four, we were now making piccata for ten, at my house! The more, the merrier!
This piccata recipe is very simple. Once the chicken breasts are sliced into cutlets, the chicken is dredged in egg and then in bread crumbs. We added the extra step of dredging, first in flour, then egg, then the crumbs. That was Anna's job. I heated the butter - we also used olive oil - and Anna started browning the cutlets...enough for ten people! It took a long time. Meanwhile, the pasta boiled away. Once done, it was drained and rinsed with cold water. Later, it would be added to the sauce to warm. We kept the browned cutlets warm in two 9" X 13" pans, while we made the sauce, with chicken stock and lemon. At this point, we had eight people sitting around the table patiently waiting for dinner. We had to, at least, quadruple the liquid and, to be honest, we just winged it, thickening the sauce, just a bit. We added the pasta to the sauce, along with capers and parsley. After about an hour, from start to finish, we served the piccata, with linguine, salad, and bread. It was delicious!
Comments ranged from, "It's exotic" (granddaughter), to "It's good", to "I like the lemon, it's not overpowering." The coating is "deliciously crunchy" was heard. Feelings were definitely mixed regarding the capers - which I love. Granddaughters, and an adult or two, scraped them off.
Would I make this again? Most definitely! It passed the "Honey, Would you eat this again?", with five "yums" up. It's on the Make Again List and is company worthy, just not for ten people.
Chicken Piccata
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless Chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise, to form 4 thin cutlets
- 1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 8 ounces Angel hair pasta
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Pour the bread crumbs in a shallow plate or dish. Pour the beaten egg in a separate shallow dish. Take one chicken cutlet and dredge in the egg, and then in the breadcrumbs. Shake off any excess breadcrumbs and place on a plate. Repeat with all cutlets.
- In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Place two of the coated chicken cutlets into the skillet. Cook on each side, for 4 minutes. Once thoroughly cooked, place on a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Let butter melt and then cook the other two pieces of coated chicken, for 4 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and keep warm with other chicken.
- Pour the lemon juice, chicken stock and capers into the warm skillet. Stir and scrape up any of the loose brown bits. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and let sauce simmer for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook angel hair pasta according to package directions. Drain water and add 2 Tablespoons butter to pasta and 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese.
- Serve chicken with sauce and pasta. Garnish with fresh parsley and more grated Parmesan cheese.
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