Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata

When I see "grilled" in the title of a recipe, I usually get scared and ignore the recipe. A tiny George Foreman = lots of unsuccessful grilling in our house. I really do wish we had a proper grill so this wouldn't happen, because I'm pretty sure I've missed out on some great recipes because of it. Anyway, I decided to give this recipe a try because chicken is less scary to bake when the recipe says to grill.... plus, it looked delicious.


Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata
inspired by The Pioneer Woman
(Printable Recipe)

Chicken
Juice of 1 lemon (3Tbsp)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp basil or oregano
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Pasta
2 cups dried penne pasta
2 Tbsp butter
Juice of 2 lemons (6 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup half and half (or heavy cream)
2 tsp dried basil
2 Tbps capers
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Chicken
Combine first 6 ingredients and mix well. Place chicken in a ziplock bag and pour marinade over chicken. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. When ready, grill until done. Allow chicken to rest for a few minutes and then slice into strips to serve over pasta.

Pasta
While chicken is grilling. Cook pasta according to directions (10-12 minutes). Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain. In same sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in garlic and lemon juice. Pour in half and half and whisk until hot. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Add the parmesan cheese, basil and capers, and heat until cheese is melted. Check the consistency of the sauce and add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if necessary. Toss in pasta.

Serve in pasta bowls with grilled chicken on top. Sprinkle with more parmesan if desired.



I liked this a lot! You could totally taste the lemon, but not in a gross way. There was just enough lemon flavor to notice it, but not to feel like you got punched in the face with a lemon. The cream, garlic, and oregano adds a lot too- combined with the lemon, they make this dish unique. I liked it more than my husband did, but he didn't have any complaints and said he wouldn't mind eating it again.

As I mentioned, I didn't grill the chicken. I actually just threw it on a skillet for a few minutes and that worked great. It could also be baked. Oh, and I left off the capers. My husband is scared of them, and I didn't have them anyway. :-)