It's so fresh, so delightful,  and SO positively yummy and fast to prepare.  This Chicken Piccata is simply a chicken breast, dredged in flour, browned and topped with a buttery lemon sauce.  It's not complicated to make, but it's always special to serve.

Ingredients

2 large Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts – sliced horizontally into 1/2″ thick cutlets
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 large Lemons – 1/2 sliced thin and 1 1/2 juiced
1 clove Garlic – Chopped fine
1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
3 tbsp Capers – Drained and Rinsed
4 tbsp Butter divided – 2 tbsp for sauce, 2 tbsp for pasta
1 lbs Linguine Noodles

Steps

Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees  and put water on stove to boil for pasta

Slice chicken breasts horizontally or butterly them and flatten to about 1/2″ thickness and slice into cutlets. I've found an easy way to do this is to place them between parchment paper and pound with a cast iron skillet. This is very fast, I usually do this on the concrete patio or garage floor.  Why?  So I don't break the countertop.  Try it, it works great.  

Salt and pepper the chicken on each side and allow to sit for a few minutes. While the chicken is resting, heat a large saute pan to medium heat and add the olive oil.

Dredge the chicken in flour then pan fry for about 3-4 minutes on each side. When fully cooked, place chicken on a dish and place in the warm 225 degree oven on until ready to serve.

Slice 1/2 lemon into then slices removing any seeds. Juice the remaining 1 1/2 lemons, you should have 1/4 – 1/3 cup of juice.

Leave the bits from the chicken in the pan and add the chopped garlic to the over medium heat stirring occasionally for about 1 min until fragrant. Add chicken broth and bring to a slow boil, then add lemon slices. Allow to slow boil on medium to medium-low for about 5 mins stirring occasionally. The sauce will reduce and slightly thicken.

At this point, add the pasta to the boiling water.  Linguine will take about 10 mins  If using a different pasta, follow the directions adding to the water in order to time the pasta being al dente just after you complete the sauce.

After the sauce has cooked down add lemon juice and capers and allow to cook another 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add 3 tbsp of butter and stir until fully melted and mixed in. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove pasta pot from heat, drain pasta, return to the pot and add 2 tbsp of butter. Mix throughly.

To serve, add pasta to each plate with 2 cutlets then cover with sauce and a slice or two of lemon (for garnish)

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This is my favorite pasta dish of all time and I'm a pasta lover.  I first ate this at The Olde Spaghetti Factory years ago and have made it countless times since.  If you haven't eaten this, you're really missing a wonderful dish.  Don't let the picture of this simple dish fool you, this pasta is full of flavor, it's pungent, intense, delicious, comfort food, it's simply divine and it takes only minutes to make.  I've made

 Arriving at Donatelli’s in White Bear Lake, patrons are greeted by 41 years of rich history. You can see it on the walls, decorated with images of the Pink Panther (or the Italian Panther as he is referred to at Donatelli’s), on the faces on the longtime staff and in the intimate booths—tucked snugly against the walls, dimmed lights hanging over them to create the mood. 

Most of us can't visit this legendary restaurant, but what we can do is duplicate their famous meat sauce in our own kitchen.

Photograph from Land O’lakes & Pioneer Woman

Pioneer Woman makes the most amazing looking Pasta Primavera.  I found her recipe on the Land O’Lakes site.  You all might want to look at this awesome recipe for deadent veggies and pasta.  What could be better?

Here’s the link…

We were at The Olde Spaghetti Factory in Nashville over the Christmas Holidays. I had this dish and it's just incredible.  It's so simple, but it's one of the best pasta dishes I've ever eaten.  The recipe is readilly available on the internet, so simple to make, and absolutely DIVINE!

~ jan

Spaghetti with Browned Butter and Mizithra Cheese


1 lb. spaghetti or your pasta of choice
1 cup browned butter
1 cup mizithra cheese

Brown butter by bringing butter to a boil in a saucepan, stirring constantly and watching so that it doesn't foam over the edge of the pan.  Once the foam starts to subside, continue boiling until it turns an amber color - 1 or 2 minutes should be long enough.  There will be sediment at the bottom of the pan, don't disturb the sediment, you don't want this in your finished browned butter.  Let the butter cool for a couple of minutes in the pan and strain, leaving sediment residue in the pan.

At this point it can be refrigerated to use later.

To make the dish, boil the pasta, divide into four serving bowls, top each serving with 1/4 cup of the cheese and spoon over 1/4 cup hot browned butter.

You can purchase mizithra cheese at The Olde Spaghetti Factory, or at local cheese shops.  If you don't have either in your town, you can purchase the cheese online.

The Olde Spaghetti Factory is now offering a new version of this dish with bacon, garlic and mushrooms.  But I'm a purist, I love this original recipe.

1 pound linguine - bow tie pasta works great with this, it's easier to eat than the linguine

8 TBS Butter
2 TBS Flour
½ Cup Parmesan Cheese

Approximately 4 cups of a mixture of half and half and heavy (whipping)cream. Play with it until you get the right consistency, it should be like Alfredo Sauce.

2 TBS Lime Juice
1 Red Pepper, julienned
1 Yellow Pepper, julienned
2 Anaheim Peppers, chopped
2 TBS red onions diced
2 TBS Green Onions Sliced
2 Tsp minced Garlic
10 Ounces Grilled Chicken breast, sliced (you can also use sauteed chicken breast, or even a cooked rotisserie chicken from the deli)
2 TBS cilantro, julienned

Rattlesnake seasoning
1 TBS cumin
1tsp red pepper
½ tsp white pepper
1 tsp onion powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 tsp salt

Melt 2 TBS of the butter in a sauté pan over low to medium heat. Add 2 heaping TBS of flour and work with a wire whisk into a white roux. Be careful not to brown the flour.

Work in the remaining 6 TBS of butter and slowly add the half and half/cream, a cup at at a time, continuing to whisk and incorporating the ingredients over medium heat. When all the cream is incorporated, add ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese and continue to whisk. The sauce should have a light consistency and coat the back of a spoon.

Add Rattlesnake seasoning. Recipe is best if you double the seasonings, it's really spicy and hot that way.

Combine the chicken, lime juice, peppers, onions and garlic and continue to sauté over medium heat until all ingredients are hot and sauce is a creamy consistency

Cook linguini al dente. Place the pasta in sauce and toss thoroughly.

Garnish the top of the pasta with smoked mozzarella and cilantro.

This is a huge recipe, serves 6-8, can be cut in half.

We ALWAYS double this recipe, and often TRIPLE it...

I remember the day Mother gave this to me. She actually had no recipe, so we stood in my kitchen, me with a pencil, she making noodles, and I was furiously scribbling what she was doing. I've made these countless times, they are just wonderful. Ahhhh, memories ~ jan

Combine 1 beaten egg, 2 Tablespoons milk (evaporated milk or half and half) and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add enough sifted all purpose flour to make a stiff dough - about one cup.

Roll very thin, almost paper thin, on floured surface. Let stand twenty minutes to let the dough rest before attempting to cut them.

There are two methods of cutting them - you can either roll them up loosely in a roll, and slice 1/4 inch wide, or you can cut them into thin strips with a pizza wheel.

Store in covered container if you don't use them immediately.

Drop into boiling broth and cook, uncovered about ten minutes, or until tender. Makes 3 cups cooked noodles.

Spaghetti with Stuffed Meatballs

Kids will love to lend a hand—literally—with this recipe. They can mix the meat and other ingredients together, a task best accomplished with their hands. (Be sure they wash their hands before and after mixing!) Children can help roll the meat mixture into balls, then make an indentation in each one and place a cheese cube inside.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 lb. ground pork
1 lb. ground veal
1 lb. ground beef
1/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more
for garnish
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/3 lb. mozzarella or provolone cheese, cut into
1/2-inch cubes
Olive oil for frying
About 6 cups tomato sauce (see related recipe
at right)
2 lb. spaghetti, cooked and drained
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the milk and bread crumbs. Add the ground pork, veal, beef, the 1/3 cup parsley, the eggs, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix briefly with your hands. Form the mixture into 2-inch balls. Press a mozzarella cheese cube into the center of each ball, sealing it inside.

In a large electric skillet set on medium-high heat, heat 1/2 inch of oil until almost smoking. Add the meatballs and cook until browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined tray.

Discard the oil in the pan. Pour the tomato sauce into the pan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for 10 minutes more.

Put the pasta in a warmed large, shallow bowl. Top with the sauce and meatballs and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately and pass the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at the table. Serves 10 to 12.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.