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Chicken Piccata

what a yummy meal! i made this with pasta and doubled the sauce ingredients (recipe below is only single ingredients, double if you want to top with pasta). i used the same white wine sauce over the pasta and it was amazing and the perfect meal! very crisp tasting with the lemon juice and capers. joe's a big caper guy so i doubled those too!

chicken piccata
what you need...

• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 ounces all-purpose flour, divided (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers
• 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

what to do...pound the chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer to about 1/2" thickness. Place 1 teaspoon flour in a small bowl (& set aside), and place remaining flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle both sides of chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour in shallow dish; shake off excess.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots to pan; sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add wine; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup broth to reserved 1 teaspoon flour; stir until smooth. Add remaining 1/2 cup broth to pan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half (about 5 minutes). Stir in flour mixture; cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, juice, and capers. Place 1 chicken breast half on each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 2 tablespoons sauce. Sprinkle each serving with about 2 teaspoons parsley.

wish i was here...

buttermilk poppy seed bread

i'm big into the loaf breads these past few weeks for joe to bring to work for a good breakfast each day. here is another good one, buttermilk poppy seed muffins originally per southern living, however i've made mine as a loaf and it turns out perfect!

buttermilk poppy seed bread
what you need...
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted

what to do...Preheat oven to 375°. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Whisk together buttermilk and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in melted butter. Spoon batter into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans to a wire rack, and drizzle with Orange Glaze (recipe below)

 the glaze ingredients & what to do...
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange juice

Stir together powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 Tbsp. orange juice. Stir in remaining 1 Tbsp. orange juice, 1 tsp. at a time, for desired consistency. if it gets too runny, just add a pinch more powdered sugar!

a twist on chicken pot pie

last weekend we had a family work weekend and replaced a lot of well overdue things at the house & overall got back to being a bit more organized. that being said, i tried a new recipe from southern living on my parents...skillet chicken pot pie with drop biscuits on top...yummy! make it the day before and put it in the fridge and take out to room temp before cooking. it is fab and a great twist on chicken pot pie!

twisted chicken pot pie

what you need (filling)...1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups frozen cubed hash browns (i used the stringy kind..turned out amazing too)
1 cup matchstick carrots
1 cup frozen small sweet peas
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (or dried)

what you need (biscuits)...

1/2 cup cold butter

3/4 cup cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped turkey bacon

2 tbsp fresh chives

1 cup whipping cream

2 cups self rising flour

what to do...Preheat oven to 425°. Melt 1/3 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; add all-purpose flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add chicken broth and milk, and cook, whisking constantly, 6 to 7 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, and stir in Creole seasoning.  Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion and mushrooms, and sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken, next 4 ingredients, and sauce.

Spoon filling into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Cut 1/2 cup cold butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Cut butter cubes into 2 cups self-rising flour with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly and mixture resembles small peas. Add 3/4 cup (3 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup finely chopped cooked bacon, 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives, and 1 cup whipping cream, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 3 or 4 times. Roll or pat dough to 3/4-inch thickness and about 2 inch round biscuits (makes about 12-15).  Bake Chicken Pie Filling at 425° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and arrange biscuits on top of hot chicken mixture. Bake 25 to 30 more minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and chicken mixture is bubbly.