Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Chicken Piccata

If you are a fan of lemon chicken, you will love this chicken piccata! The sauce was so flavorful without being too heavy. I made some organic steamed broccoli and wild rice to go with this - making the broccoli the main part of the meal. While meat and poultry are good for us, we try to make the vegetables the focal point of our meal and the meat the "side." So we cut each of the pieces of chicken in half and had 2-3 ounce servings of chicken. This is a great meal for a weeknight if you have a half an hour to prepare it, but would also be a great meal for company without taking too much time! 

Chicken Piccata


Ingredients

1 pound organic free-range boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper, for seasoning
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup organic chicken stock
1/4 cup capers
1/4 cup fresh organic parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts in gallon-sized sealable bag and pound with meat tenderizing mallet until thin (~1/4 inch thickness). Season with salt and pepper on both sides and dredge in flour, shaking to remove excess.

2. In large skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter with 3 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Transfer chicken to a plate.

3. Add lemon juice, chicken stock and capers to pan and bring to a boil, scraping brown bits from bottom. Return chicken to pan and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Place chicken on serving dish. Whisk remaining 2 Tbsp butter into sauce in pan and pour sauce over top of chicken. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

(Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentils' Chicken Piccata recipe from 
foodnetwork.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Chicken is an excellent source of protein and is rich in B vitamins. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been shown to help lower bad cholesterol (LDL), raise good cholesterol (HDL), and aid in blood sugar control. Butter is rich in vitamins E, K and D. Broccoli is packed with vitamins C and K, and is also a good source of folate and calcium. Wild rice is a great source of protein and antioxidants, as well as vitamins A, C and E.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Becky!

    This has nothing to do with this amazing looking chicken piccata dish, but I'm wondering if you could enlighten me on whether coconut milk is good for you. I know that it's a high-fat product, but it's also listed as a great source of healthy fats. Just wanted your opinion!

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    Replies
    1. Hey Toni! Sorry for such a late response. I totally missed that I had a comment! Coconut milk and coconut oil are things that are so confusing because everything your hear about them goes back and forth as to whether they are good or bad. With everything we are starting to learn more about as far as fats - particularly saturated fats - being good rather than bad for you, coconut oil has started to emerge as one of those things that are actually good for you, in moderate amounts. In particular the medium chain fatty acids are what is so good for you in coconut oil and coconut milk. They are thought to have antibacterial properties for fighting illness and also are broken down much faster than saturated fats so are used more quickly for energy. So long story short, yes, coconut milk is a good option!

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