Comforting chicken piccata with burst cherry tomatoes served over a heap of spaghetti tossed in a lemony white wine sauce.
Chicken piccata is one of those dishes I don’t get sick of. Probably because it’s super lemony, and I’m a sucker for anything with citrus. It sort of lightens up the dish without taking away from its classic comfort factor. But comforting it is, my friends. I mean, it’s hard to get sick of a dish made with six tablespoons of butter, no?
I adapted this recipe from my girl Giada De Laurentiis because I figured the women had a pretty good chicken piccata recipe. Turns out she does, but of course I had to put a few of my own tweaks in there. Like adding some cute cherry tomatoes for a pop of sweetness!
Sometimes I feel guilty about altering traditional recipes, like I’m going to offend the author or get called out for doing it “wrong.” But that just means I’m cooking to please others and not myself. Giada isn’t eating my chicken piccata (although, you’re welcome anytime, girl!)—I am.
On Instagram yesterday, I discussed letting go of pleasing others and focusing on ourselves more, and the same concept applies to the kitchen. Let’s stop being such people pleasers when it comes to our cooking. Who are we offending if we diverge from the recipe? Let’s start making our food exactly the way we want it, whether or not the recipe calls for it and whether or not so-and-so would roll over in their grave if they knew. Cooking allows you the freedom to make the food you love taste even better than the recipe because it can be tailored to your taste buds!
For example, some of you may not like that I added cherry tomatoes to this recipe. That’s fine! Take them out. Or some of you may wish there were more veggies for some extra nutrition. That’s great, too—toss in that spinach. Garlic? Go ahead!
If you’re waiting for permission to alter or enhance a recipe, this is it. Let your taste buds do the validating!
Enjoy.
CHICKEN PICCATA PASTA + BURST CHERRY TOMATOES
Serves 2-4
INGREDIENTS
- 2 chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded 1/4 inch thick
- Flour, for dredging
- ⅓ cup lemon juice (2 small lemons)
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ cup capers, rinsed
- Parsley, chopped
- 6 tbsp butter
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb spaghetti, cooked al dente
- chopped parsley, for garnish
- parmesan (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Cut chicken breasts in half and pound to 1/4 inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour making sure to shake off excess.
Melt 2 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to sizzle. Add half the chicken and cook until golden brown. Flip and cook other side until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a wire rack fitted inside a baking sheet lined with paper towel. Add 2 more tbsp each of butter and olive oil to the pan and cook the rest of the chicken until golden brown on each side. Transfer to rack.
Cook pasta while you make the sauce. Follow instructions on the box for al dente pasta.
Toss the cherry tomatoes into the pan and sauté until they start to caramelize and burst. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add the wine, chicken stock, lemon juice, and capers to the pan and bring to a boil, scraping up all the brown bits from the chicken. Taste sauce to check for seasoning and adjust salt, if necessary. Return all chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and whisk 2 tbsp of butter into the sauce.
Pour sauce over cooked spaghetti and toss with cherry tomatoes. Top with chicken and garnish with parsley and parmesan.
TIPS
- Take chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to ensure even cooking.
- Combine lemon juice, chicken broth, wine, and capers together so you can add them to the pan all at once.
- If sauce is too tangy/sour, try adding a little honey to balance out the acidity.
- When making pasta—bring water to a boil and add a ton of salt before tossing in the noodles. Make sure the water tastes salty!
- Reserve some pasta water and add to sauce little by little to loosen if it feels sticky.
For more comfort food check out my Brown butter sage mashed potatoes or Spicy chili.
