Lucky for me, Birdie is not a picky eater. Lord knows she'd starve if she was waiting on her mama to be a short order cook. We sit down at the table to share family meals each night. And, you did read that correctly. Family meals happen nightly.
I simply love family dinner. Some nights are basic; other nights include silver service and pressed linens. You never know what you're going to get around here, but whatever is served better bring you to the table when I call out, "Dinner is ready!"For me, it's not so much about the meal but the conversations we share together. I just love it.
I'm not a chef, just a mama who cooks for the people in her nest and know how challenging it can be to serve fresh, healthy meals that are quick and easy to prepare. Sometimes I follow recipes, other times I just wing it. My healthy version of chicken piccata is a family favorite.
No prep pictures - just that finished plated dinner seen above...
Healthy Chicken Piccata w/ Gluten Free Cacio e Pepe Pasta
Ingredients:
4 chicken breast cutlets (or two chicken breasts halved)
1/2 cup almond flour (if gluten free; otherwise 1/2 all purpose flour)
1/2 tsp of each: sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, garlic powder
1 egg
1 lemon + more for slicing & garnishing
1/2 cup water (or dry white wine)
6 Tbsp ghee (or unsalted butter)
Capers
Fresh, finely grated parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley
Directions:
Place chicken cutlets in a ziplock bag and pound with a meat pounder until each peace is 1/4 in thick
Preheat oven to 275
Mix flour, sea salt, black pepper and garlic powder together in a large shallow dish
Beat egg with a little splash of water
Heat 2 Tbsp ghee over in skillet over med-high heat
Dredge chicken in egg, coat each side with flour mix, dredge again then place in skillet. I get really nervous about chicken, but 4-5 minutes on each side should work well. Cook the chicken until no longer pink!
Remove the chicken, place on a baking pan and place it in the oven while you cook the sauce
Add 1/2 cup water (or dry white wine), and small jar of capers (rinsed & drained), and juice of 1 lemon to the skillet; cook down until about 1/2 of the liquid remains
Add 4 tbsp of ghee to sauce and stir until melted
Gluten Free Cacio e Pepe
Ingredients:
Gluten free noodles - we prefer bucatini
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup fresh and finely grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp butter
Directions:
Boil enough water for 4 servings of gluten free pasta and follow cooking directions on package (I always add a generous pinch of salt to the water)
When pasta is al dente, reserve 3/4 cup stock before draining the noodles
Remove the stock pot from heat, add the reserved stock, cheese, butter and black pepper - blend well
Add noodles back to stock pot and toss in the Cacio e Pepe sauce.
Presentation:
Plate the pasta, top with chicken cutlets and pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh parsley.
Enjoy!