Chicken Piccata with Orzo

Happy Valentine's Day! Yesterday we celebrated St. Valentine - the saint of lovers and yesterday I made chicken piccata for dinner. It was my gift to Shaun and honestly it was all I could do after the amazing steak dinner he bought me at Mooo in Boston Sunday night. I gave him the option to have any meal he wanted me to cook for him - and he chose chicken piccata.

This specific recipe was adapted from Cooking Light but I usually just wing it when I'm in the kitchen making it... which is why you will see a few additions below. If you run a general Google search you will find TONS of different recipes for this dish. Chicken piccata is a traditional Italian dish and sometimes made with veal (also delicious). The word piccata translates to mean spicy or piquant which is a result of the salty capers and tart lemon juice.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked orzo
2 tsp grated lemon rind
4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup flour 
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp capers

Directions:
1. Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain. Stir in rind. (I added the rind into the sauce, which in turn was spooned over the orzo.)
2. While orzo cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. I also pounded out the chicken nice and thin and dredged it in flour before putting it in the pan. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm.
3. Add wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates, scraping pan to loosen brown bits. Add broth and lemon juice; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup. Remove from heat; add butter; stirring until butter melts. Stir in parsley and capers. Serve over orzo. I doubled the sauce ingredients because we both LOVE to soak the orzo with the sauce.

I served this chicken dish with arugula (dressed with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper) alongside roasted asparagus. I think this is a restaurant-quality meal that anyone can make at home and it is just as delightful! It is a simple dish to add into your repertoire - along with some other classics - Scaloppine, Rollatini and Saltimbocca. Believe me, it is easier to make the dishes than say them in Italian. Look out for those in later posts - Tutti Mangia!