Friday, April 23, 2010

Chicken Piccata - Healthy Makeover

6 oz whole-wheat angel hair pasta
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, divided
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 chicken cutlets, (3/4-1 pound total), trimmed
3 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 10-oz pkg mushrooms, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
2 tblsp lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tblsp capers, rinsed
2 tsp butter (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta & cook until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes or according to package directions. Drain & rinse.

Meanwhile, whisk 5 teaspoons flour & broth in a small bowl until smooth. Place the remaining flour in a shallow dish. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt & pepper & dredge both sides in the flour. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken & cook until browned & no longer pink in the middle, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; cover & keep warm.

Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms & cook, stirring, until they release their juices & begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add garlic & wine to the pan & cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the reserved broth-flour mixture, lemon juice & the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer & cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in parsley, capers, butter & the reserved mushrooms. Measure out 1/2 cup of the mushroom sauce. Toss the pasta in the pan with the remaining sauce. Serve the pasta topped with the chicken and the reserved sauce.

{ Food for Thought }

Although I've never been a caper fan I loved them in this dish. I had them in the pantry so I wanted to use them up. If you don't want to go that route then this dish would be just as good without. I also didn't bother measuring out the sauce at the end. I just put the chicken back in with the sauce to warm through & served it all over the pasta on a large serving platter.