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Chicken Piccata Recipe that’s lighter aka “skinny” and so easy to make!Perfect on a busy weeknight but also fancy enough to make when you have company over!
TGIF!!!!Is that enough exclamation points for you? 😉
I think I may be a little excited that it’s finally Friday. Woot woot! Every week I think to myself, “Okay, this week is going to be busy but that’s okay because next week will be better.” Every week I think that, guys. Every freaking week! But every week is ALWAYS busy!!
Yesterday I got up really early, skipped my workout and got ready to go. Rushed my boys out the door and carried a ton of food into my 6 year old’s elementary school for a parent meeting that I had to set up (never get stuck in a PTA job you hate, by the way. Take it from me). I carefully cut and placed fruit on a plate and cut pastries and bagels and set out neatly on a pretty plate. Everything looked perfect!
I won’t lie, my friends. I was pissed! All that work (and my own money spent on food because like two moms signed up to help bring food) and it was literally a shortened meeting with only four people who barely touched my beautiful plates of food. UGH!
Needless to say, the meeting put a little kink in my morning. But that’s okay. Because I made the best dinner EVER. Have you ever made Chicken Piccata before? It sounds super fancy, right?
But guess what? It’s reallyeasy to make! It’s so simple, you can make it on a busy weeknight but also fancy enough to make when you have company over. And it’s a skinny version, which makes it even better!
Chances are if you like Italian food, you’ve either had or heard of a Chicken Piccata recipe. Sometimes I tend to stay away from fancy sounding meals because I think they’re going to be difficult to make. LikeChicken CacciatoreorChili Rellenos. Sounds intimidating, right? But names can be deceiving!
Piccata is actually a method of preparing food. Basically meat is sliced (or pounded), coated, sautéed and served in a sauce. Veal piccata originated in Italy and when the Americans picked up on the dish, chickenwas used in place of the veal and thus the chicken piccata recipe was born.?
This is such an easy dinner. In fact, I’ve made it twice this week and my family devoured it! I made it one weeknight for a fancier meal for my husband and I and then during the week I made a bigger portion for my whole family. It’s made in one pan and is bursting with lemony, buttery, creamy flavor. So much flavor in every bite of tender chicken!
This "Skinny" Chicken Piccata is easy enough to make on a busy weeknight but also fancy enough to make when you have company over!
Pound chicken cutlets and season with salt and pepper. Roll in flour and shake off excess.
Heat oil in pan. Brown chicken on both sides over medium heat. Remove to a plate when brown, set aside.
Pull pan off the heat and add in minced garlic. Stir. Don't burn the garlic!
When fragrant, add chicken broth and place pan back on heat. Scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Heat to a light boil and let sauce cook until reduced a bit.
Add lemon juice and capers. Simmer again until sauce is reduced some and slightly thickened.
Add butter and melt. Add chicken and any liquid on plate. Simmer together over a medium-low heat until sauce is to thickness desired. Pull off heat. Lightly stir in yogurt (can also skip this step and eat without adding yogurt).
Serve chicken alone or with angel hair pasta (I used the whole wheat kind) with some lemon slices on the side and parsley sprinkled over the top. Enjoy!
On average, a single serving of Chicken Piccata contains about 200 to 350 calories, making it a moderately caloric dish suitable for those managing their energy intake.
Piccata refers to a sauce (made with lemon, capers, broth, and butter) that's often partnered with chicken, while scallopini refers to the method for preparing the chicken. Chicken scallopini can be finished with piccata sauce, or another sauce.
What Is Chicken Piccata? Chicken piccata is nothing more than chicken breast cutlets, dredged in flour, browned, and served with a sauce of butter, lemon juice, capers, and either stock or white wine.
Chicken Piccata has the least calories per 100 grams. Chicken Piccata with Artichoke Hearts has the least total fat per 100 grams. Chicken Piccata has the least saturated fat per 100 grams. Chicken Francese has the least sodium per 100 grams.
Chicken Marsala has the least carbohydrates per 100 grams. Chicken Piccata has the least sugar per 100 grams. Chicken Francese has the most fiber per 100 grams. Chicken Cordon Bleu has the most protein per 100 grams.
Although it has Italian roots (via those imported French chefs) it never really caught on in Italy. However, it became a truly Italian American dish served in restaurants across America even though you would be hard pressed to find a restaurant serving it in Italy.
Italian, slice of sautéed veal flavored with lemon and parsley, from piccata, feminine of piccato, past participle of piccare to lard (meat), probably from French piquer, literally, to prick.
Chicken piccata as we know it doesn't actually seem to have origins in Italy. It's likely an Italian-American invention, a derivative of a couple of different classic Italian cooking techniques, like scaloppine which means “thin slices of meat (such as veal) sautéed or coated with flour and fried”.
It happens all the time. The muscle fibers in breast meat denature at lower temperatures and have little to no connective tissue to act as a “backup” to the moisture loss that can occur in the meat itself. Given the frying-then-braising nature of this dish, that tendency to dry out is a recipe for disaster.
For the sauce, use a dry Italian white wine such as Pinot Grigio or Vermentino and have it ready to pour into the pan the minute the garlic turns golden so that nothing burns.
Scaloppine dishes are some of the most quintessential everyday secondi piatti in the Italian repertoire. Thin slices of meat are lightly floured then quickly sautéed in a skillet, which is deglazed with wine to form a quick and tasty sauce.
Milanese is a thin, often pounded, piece of boneless chicken (or veal), seasoned with salt and pepper, then breaded… yes, breaded… fried then finished with sautéed mushrooms, wine, parmesan cheese, and parsley. Look…if you add capers…it's piccata…if you bread the chicken…it's Milanese (or Milanesa).
Golden, crispy chicken breasts lightly dredged in flour and parmesan cheese, pan fried until a soft golden crust forms and finished off in a buttery, silky, lemon garlic sauce with capers and white wine or stock! It doesn't get any better than this easy chicken piccata for dinner!
Fattier cuts like the thigh, drumstick and wings have more calories, which make them better for people wanting to build muscle or gain weight. People on low-carb or keto diets also need to eat more fat and may benefit from eating these cuts too. Overall, chicken is a great addition to your diet.
Chicken tenders are primarily made of breast meat. However, given the additional ingredients, like breadcrumbs, that are also used to make them, chicken tenders end up with many more calories than plain chicken breast.
Introduction: My name is Horacio Brakus JD, I am a lively, splendid, jolly, vivacious, vast, cheerful, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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