Chicken Piccata with mushrooms is Italian comfort food at its finest. Pan sautéed chicken with a tangy lemon sauce, mushrooms, and pasta made in 30 minutes. It doesn’t get much better than that. Enjoy!

Chicken Piccata

1 cup orzo
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon iodized salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts; butterfly each breast through the center horizontally into 2 pieces to make a total of 4 pieces.
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice plus 8 thin lemon slices (you will need 2 lemons)
1/3  cup dry white wine
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 ounces whole baby bella mushrooms, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons capers, rinsed and drained (found in the pickle section of the grocery store)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

While pasta is cooking, mix flour, salt, and pepper on a plate with a fork. Dredge chicken in flour mixture. Shake off excess flour and reserve 2 teaspoons. Set aside.

Pour lemon juice, wine, and chicken broth into a mason jar. Add reserved, 2 teaspoons flour mixture. Replace jar lid and shake to combine. Set aside.

In a large non-stick skillet; heat olive oil and butter over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned; about 2 minutes per side. (Cook chicken in two batches if your skillet is small. Chicken should not be touching when pan frying- it needs space to brown.) Place chicken on a plate. Reserve. Add mushrooms to skillet, turning over at least once; cook 2 minutes. Add garlic and capers; cook 30 seconds.

Shake lemon juice mixture and add to pan. Stir into pan juices, scraping bottom of pan to get any yummy bits. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, add chicken back to pan, and cook until chicken is done; about 5 minutes. Add lemon slices; cook 1 minute.

To serve: Spoon orzo on a large platter. Place chicken, mushrooms, lemon slices and sauce on orzo. Garnish with parsley. Makes 4 servings.

Published in The News and Neighbor on April 22, 2020.