Creamy Chicken Piccata

[Picture coming soon!]

The term piccata is a Milanese way to describe meat that is flattened and pan-fried. Traditionally, piccata is made with veal served in a sauce of pan drippings, lemon, butter, and spices.

This creamy alternative is an easy, lemony twist on the original. I tend to like lots of vegetables in my dishes, so if you're not a fan of veggies use half the recommended shallots, red peppers and mushrooms.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb of chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3/4 of dry white wine
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbsp of garlic, minced
• 1 cup of shallots or onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 cup of red bell pepper
• 1 tsp of lemon zest (optional)
• 1 jar of alfredo sauce
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1 Tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
• 2 Tbsp of fresh Italian parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Using a sharp knife, butterfly the chicken breasts. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook chicken, turning once, until lightly browned on both sides and chicken is nearly cooked through (approximately 5 minutes). Remove chicken and set aside.
2. Add the wine and lemon juice to the same skillet, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Cook for several minutes over medium heat until liquid has reduced by about half. Add shallots, mushrooms and red bell pepper and sauté until shallots are translucent and mushrooms are tender.
3. Stir in alfredo sauce, lemon zest, capers and parsley. Return the cooked chicken to the pan and heat through.
4. Serve with linguine, fettuccine or other preferred pasta.

Serves 4.