Recipe of the Week: Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata

(This Picture is NOT mine)

Wow, 2 days in a row!? WTF? I know I know, but since I recently discovered I actually have friends who read my blog (: *SHOUTOUT!* I figured I’d show my appreciation with a yummy recipe.

So I know the week has pretty much just started, but this is another favorite of mine. My household had the luck of trying it for the first time last week and… *DRUMROLL PLEASE* they loved it! No duh though being I’m becoming such a dope ass chef (: Unfortunately this is not a quick/on-the-go recipe because you have to marinade the chicken, but it’s totally worth making!

If you have the time, here it is:

Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata

Ingredients:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I didn’t have any handy, so I ended up using boneless, skinless chicken tenders)
- lemon juice
- olive oil
- minced garlic
- salt
- black pepper
- oregano
- penne pasta
- butter
- half and half or heavy cream
- basil
- capers
- grated parmesan cheese

Chicken Marinade-
3 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP minced garlic
1 TSP salt
¼ TSP black pepper
½ TSP oregano

Pasta-
2 CUPS dried penne pasta (I use the whole box)
2 TBSP butter
6 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP minced garlic
½ CUP half and half or heavy cream (I ended up using heavy cream)
2 TSP dried basil
2 TBSP capers
½ CUP grated parmesan cheese

Yes I know that looks like quite a bit, but once I show you the instructions it’ll make a lot more sense.

Preparing/Cooking the Chicken-
1. Combine the “chicken marinade” ingredients
2. Place chicken in a zip lock bag and add the marinade
3. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator (I ended up marinating it for 2 nights)
4. Then when you’re ready to make this delicious dinner, grill until it’s done (but since I have no idea how to use a grill, I ended up baking mine)
 *[for baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 60 minutes – make sure to chicken is cooked thoroughly before serving]
5. After you finish grilling/baking your chicken, set it aside and then slice into strips to serve over pasta

Cooking Pasta/Sauce-
1. While the chicken is cooking, cook pasta according to box directions
2. Reserve ½ CUP of the pasta water and drain the rest (since I use the whole box of pasta, I reserve 1 CUP)
3. In a sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat
4. Add garlic and lemon juice
5. Pour in half and half or heavy cream and stir until hot
6. Add salt/black pepper to taste
7. Add the parmesan cheese, basil, and capers until cheese is melted
8. To loosen the sauce, add the reserved pasta water
9. Mix the sauce with the pasta

Now you can add your grilled/baked chicken to your pasta mixture. If you’re a fan of a lot of cheese, feel to sprinkle some more parmesan cheese on your finished masterpiece!

Whew… That’s a lot to follow, but I’ll reiterate – it’s so damn yummy! (:

You can find the original recipe here: http://www.plainchicken.com/2010/08/creamy-grilled-chicken-piccata.html?m=1 or via my Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sssteele/recipes-ive-used/.  The recipe I posted just has my little tweaks here and there :)



xo,
sss