Chicken Piccata Pasta (from Leigh Frirth)

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound chicken breasts , cubed
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , divided
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt , divided
  • 8 ounces brown mushrooms ,sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 6 tablespoons cold butter
  • 3 lemons
  • 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
  • 3.5 ounces capers
  • 1 pound linguine , or other long pasta
  • Minced parsley, Italian panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese for serving


Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta 2 minutes less than the time on the package directions.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss the chicken pieces with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes, turning once or twice, until lightly browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the mushrooms and tomato to the bowl with the browned chicken.
  3. Add the chicken broth and wine to the skillet, bring to a bubbling simmer, and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Whisk in 4 tablespoons of the butter. Juice 2 lemons and add to the sauce. Add the capers. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the sauce reduces by a third. Add the chicken, mushrooms and tomatoes back to the sauce. Thinly slice the remaining lemon and nestle the lemon slices amongst the chicken and vegetables. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to emulsify and thicken the sauce.
  4. Drain the pasta and add it in batches back to the skillet with the sauce, tossing to coat as the pasta continues cooking and absorbs some of the buttery wine sauce. If your skillet isn't large enough, drain the pasta then add it back to the pot it was cooked in, then add the sauce to the pasta. Toss to coat over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
  5. To serve, sprinkle with minced parsley, Parmesan cheese, or Italian panko bread crumbs if desired.

Recipe Notes
Use a high sided skillet to cook the chicken and sauce. The pasta is best when added to the sauce to finish cooking and absorb the buttery wine sauce. If your skillet isn't large enough, add the drained pasta back to the pot it was cooked in and toss with the chicken and sauce over medium heat. 


Recipe Notes from Leigh Frirth
I mixed a little flour with salt, pepper and garlic and shook the chicken chunks in it before I cooked them in the olive oil. ​