Lighter Chicken PIccata

I don’t think I’ve ever talked about workouts on this blog before (except maybe for a passing thought about needing to get to the gym after a particularly decadent post), but I wanted to mention that I’m currently in the middle of week four of the exercise portion of Jamie Eason’s Livefit 12-week Trainer and absolutely LOVING it. The first phase (month) of this program is straight up strength training and I’ve been trying to track my nutrition pretty closely as well to see where I’m at. I find that I consume way less protein than my body needs, especially while trying to build serious muscle, so I’ve been looking for more protein-dense meals lately. Lean chicken breast is a given, so I have been enjoying trying some ‘basic’ / classic chicken recipes lately. Chicken piccata sounded particularly appealing since I heart capers (and garlic and lemon and wine…). This meal is a relatively easy weeknight dinner with great, fresh flavors. Enjoy!

P.S.: If you want to hear more about Livefit, let me know and maybe I’ll do a post covering it!

Lighter Chicken Piccata
Serves 2-3
Just the Tip / Inspired by Cooking Light

What I used:

• 2 (6-oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
• 2 tsp butter
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• juice from half a lemon
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1 cloves garlic, minced
• kosher salt / freshly ground black pepper
• 4 oz cooked whole wheat linguine or spaghetti
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

What I did:

1. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on top of the chicken breasts and pound out until they’re about 3/4″ thick. Season each side of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
2. Put the flour in a shallow dish and dredge the chicken in flour on each side.
3. Heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Once hot, add the chicken breasts and cook until well-browned on each side and cooked through to 160 degrees (about 5 minutes per side, but really depends on the thickness of your chicken). When the chicken is done, remove to a plate and cover with foil.
4. Add the wine, chicken broth, lemon juice, garlic, and capers to the pan. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, and allow the sauce to reduce and thicken. If it reduces too much, add more liquid (wine or broth). Add the parsley at the end.
5. Serve the chicken with the pasta and spoon the sauce over top.
   

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