Parmigiano-Reggiano-Crusted Chicken Piccata
Easy and delicious, this dish will become a "go-to" meal for special occasion dinners with family and friends.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved and pounded 1/4-inch thick
- Salt
- 1/2 pound angel hair pasta
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
- Juice of 1 lemon, plus 1 sliced lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup capers, drained and patted dry, or 12 caper berries, sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (eyeball it)
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- 1 package baby spinach (5 ounces)
- Pepper
Preparation
Place the flour on a plate. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs; place 1 cup cheese on another plate. Working with one cutlet at a time, coat the chicken with the flour, then egg and then cheese, pressing to adhere. Transfer to a plate.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it, add the pasta and cook to al dente, 3 minutes. Drain, reserving a ladleful of the starchy cooking water.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO, two turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until deeply golden, 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter and cover with foil. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO, one turn of the pan, to the skillet. Add the sliced lemon, garlic and capers and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and parsley and cook until reduced, 1 minute. Lower the heat and bring to a simmer.
Stir the chicken stock into the sauce for 1 minute. Stir in the butter until melted, then stir in the lemon juice. Spoon a little sauce over the chicken. Add the spinach to the remaining sauce in the skillet and cook until wilted. Add the reserved pasta cooking water. Stir in the pasta and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining cheese and toss. Serve the pasta with the chicken.
