Chicken Piccata, Lemony Orzo & Caesar Salads for a Crowd

 Today is Monday.

The inlaws are coming! The inlaws are coming! Quick, clean the house and the children! Steve, go jump in the shower four minutes before their arrival time! 

...Pulled out all the stops for a lil MLK cele with my inlaws tonight. Meaning we had carbs on a Monday and set the table with knives and everything.

I chose tonight's dinner very carefully, as my mother-in-law is quite the picky eater (see my dissertation on picky eaters posted below). She doesn't eat fruit or veggies or seeds or nuts or carbs or bones in chicken or cheese or stinky foods or spice. SO, I used two of the requests I got this week: one for Chicken Piccata and one for recipes with <10 ingredients and came up with this feast we all went to TOWN on. We had Chicken Piccata, lemony orzo, Caesar salads, and chocolate cupcakes 4ways (more on those another day). Nom nom nom...she even ate carbs. And garlic. And anchovies! Don't tell her. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auntie G's Chicken Piccata  

Serves 4 I doubled everything for the 7 of us.

Ingredients

1 egg

3 T. lemon juice, separated

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. paprika 

Salt and pepper - I have a hard time cooking without a little S&P.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts If you have really big breasts like I do, did, I would pound them to flatten, and cut in half. They cook more evenly this way. I used six large breasts (approx 12 oz. each).

1/2 cup butter Or ghee, Dana, or ghee.

1/2 cup chicken stock (Auntie G uses Bouillon cubes dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water).

Instructions 

1) Mix egg and 1 T. lemon juice in a small bowl.

2) Mix flour, garlic and paprika in another small bowl. Now I pounded my breasts, we all made inappropriate meat-pounding jokes, and I sprinkled both sides with salt and pepper.

3) Dip chicken breasts in egg mixture, then in flour mixture.  This is called dredging!

4) Melt butter over medium heat and sauté chicken for about 3 minutes on each side (until they have a little color). 

 

 

 

 

 

5)  Add stock and 2 T. lemon juice to the pan. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until chicken is tender. Add more stock/lemon juice if necessary. Do not overcook. Good thing that scary reminder not to overcook was there! I got worried and took out my trusty meat thermometer. These babies were perfect after 15 minutes! Definitely keep checking your meat after 12 and 15 minutes with a knife if you don't have a thermometer. I did not have any problem with the juices running low. We had plenty in which to baste our breasts for delicious added flavor. I topped with capers, which my mother-in-law DOES eat and everyone else present wouldn't try. I give up.

Just get this. I'm no wizard.

 

 

Liz's Orzo 

Ingredients 

1 16 oz. box orzo

3 T. olive oil

1 leek I still had a leek left from last week. You can use anything here really...an onion, shallots, scallion whites, even spinach or halved cherry tomatoes....

1 clove garlic

Salt and pepper

5 T. Parmesan cheese, separated 

2 T. fresh herbs, such as parsley or basil I still have my parsley.

Lemon juice

Instructions

1) Cook orzo per instructions on box in a pot of water salted with 2 T. salt.

2) Heat oil over medium-low heat. Toss in leek and garlic and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. 

Had to multitask AND make small talk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 3) Drain orzo, retaining about 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Return orzo to the pot and add in leek mixture and oils and about 1/4 cup of cooking liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 4 T. cheese, parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice. If orzo clumps before serving, add a swirl of oil and/or  a few more T. of cooking liquid, and stir. 

4) Serve topped with final 1 T. of cheese and fresh cracked pepper.

 

"Real" Caesar Salad

Ingredients

2 - 3 heads romaine lettuce, rinsed I tossed in my pretty radicchio I bought for my cooking class.

Croutons, store bought or homemade* Don't fall off your chair, but I made mine.

3 cloves garlic, separated

2 anchovies, minced, bones and all OK. I know, I know! I have known about anchovies in Caesar salads for years but could never bring myself to try it. Anchovies are just salt! OK they are fish, but they just taste like salt! I swear, I tricked six people, including three children, into loving the salad, and no one knew there were two little fishies cut up in their greens. It was as easy as buying a can of tuna off the shelf. I just reached one shelf higher and bought anchovies. I froze the rest and will make all the gorgeous pasta recipes I always avoid because ANCHOVIES?! I can't buy those! They might have eyeballs! They don't. The do have tiny bones that are too small for you to notice. I looked it up on google and everything - you eat the bones. You're fine. This is fine. They sell it in bottles too. 

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, plus 2 T. more

2 oz. white wine vinegar

3 oz. olive oil

Instructions 

1) Cut one garlic clove in half length-wise and wipe a wooden salad bowl all over with it. Steve said this step really made the dish but I think he was being annoying.

2) Chop remaining two garlic cloves and put in a small jar or glass measuring cup. Add in anchovies, pepper, 1/4 cup Parmesan and vinegar. Pour in oil, whisking as you do so. This can be made ahead and set aside.

3) Top romaine with dressing, croutons, extra 2. T Parmesan cheese and freshly ground salt and pepper.

*4) If making your own croutons, cut French bread (or your sourdough) in pieces. Top with oil, pinches of salt, pepper, Parmesan, and oregano, and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes, stirring once.  Leave them out until completely dried out so they don't get soggy. This is a great use for day-old bread. Enjoy saving $3.