Light and Lemony Chicken Piccata

A reader’s favorite Italian recipe gets a healthy makeover!

By: Jodie Shield, MED, RDN

If you love Italian food, you’re going to love this Chicken Piccata recipe. My childhood friend, Marianne, gave it to me years ago after she served it at her dinner party that included four families with hungry kids! It was such a hit, but I must admit, I have lightened it up a bit. I only use about half the butter and olive oil she recommended in the original recipe. To save time, I ask the butcher at the supermarket to pound the chicken breasts, or sometimes I buy chicken breast cutlets. My kids are not big caper fans, so when I make it for them, I leave the capers out. If you add capers, keep in mind they are rather salty. In fact, one tablespoon provides only 2 calories but 260 milligrams of sodium.  Marianne served her Chicken Piccata with mashed potatoes, but I often serve it with whole-wheat pasta and a side of steamed broccoli. Thanks so much Marianne for the recipe!  When are you going to have us over for dinner? For more Italian dishes such as Rustic Italian Chicken and Two-Way Tetrazzini be sure to download my FREE app Eat Healthy Homemade Meals in Minutes on iTunes or Google Play.

 Chicken Piccata

Makes 4 servings

Prep Time = 15 minutes

Cook Time = 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved, pounded thin (about ¼ inch thick)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1½ tablespoons flour plus extra for coating chicken
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/3 cup white wine
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup chicken broth
• ¼ tablespoon parsley
• ½ cup capers, drained  (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix 1 tablespoon of butter and 1½ tablespoons of flour into a paste with a fork. Set it aside.
2. Put extra flour in a dish and coat chicken lightly.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat.  Add the chicken and cook about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the cooked chicken to a casserole dish and place it in the oven to keep it warm.
4. In the skillet that you used to cook the chicken, add the wine, lemon juice, and chicken broth and heat the mixture for about two minutes.  Whisk in the flour-butter paste, extra butter, parsley, and capers if using.  Heat until the sauce thickens about 5 minutes.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Nutrition Information (without capers): 245 calories, 23 grams protein, 3.5 grams carbohydrate, 0 grams dietary fiber, 14.5 grams fat, 6.5 grams saturated fat, 85.5 milligrams cholesterol, 110 milligrams sodium

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