Okay, so the other day I was craving some good ol’ California Pizza Kitchen, specifically their Chicken Piccata. But, you know, sometimes you just wanna stay in your PJs and not deal with going out. So, I thought, “Why not try making it myself?” It turned out to be way easier than I expected!
Getting Started
First things first, I gathered all the ingredients. I already had some chicken breasts in the freezer, so I took those out to thaw. I also made sure I had the basics like flour, salt, pepper, and olive oil. The key to Piccata is the lemony, caper-y sauce, so I grabbed a lemon, some capers, chicken broth, and white wine. I’m pretty sure the CPK version uses spaghetti, so I grabbed a box of that, *, and butter! Can’t forget the butter for the sauce.
The Chicken Prep
Once the chicken was thawed, I sliced each breast in half horizontally to make them thinner. This helps them cook faster and more evenly. Then, I dredged each piece in a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper. Just a light coating, nothing too crazy.
I heated some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it was hot, I added the chicken and cooked it for about 3-4 minutes per side, until it was golden brown and cooked through.I took the chicken out of the pan and put in on separated plate.
Sauce Time!
Now for the fun part – the sauce! In the same skillet, I melted some butter. I add little flour to make it thicker. Then, I poured in the chicken broth and white wine. I squeezed in the juice of that lemon and tossed in the capers.I bring it to a simmer, stirring, it.I put the chicken back into the pan.
Pasta and Plating
While the sauce was simmering, I cooked the spaghetti according to the package directions. Once it was done, I drained it and added it to the skillet with the chicken and sauce. I tossed everything together to make sure the pasta was nicely coated.
Finally, I served it up! I sprinkled a little extra fresh parsley on top. And there you have it – homemade Chicken Piccata that tastes pretty darn close to CPK’s!
