Chicken Piccata and Brownie Sundaes

Whew, I am stuffed! We had friends over for dinner tonight, and there was just so much yummy food! Everything tasted so good, and I basically over-did-it. Ugh. Oh well. A sweaty workout is on the agenda for tomorrow!

Mal and I started the evening with an episode of Weeds and a glass of red wine before our friends arrived for dinner. 

As an appetizer, I prepared a hummus plate with raw carrots and broccoli. 

Once our friends Dave and Marie arrived, Mal and I got cookin’ in the kitchen! We decided to make an easy chicken piccata with linguine recipe for dinner tonight. Mal took charge of the chicken and pasta. 

Keeping with the lemon theme from this afternoon, I was in charge of the lemon, which was obviously a big responsibility!

Zesting the lemon… 

Ove-Gloves!!!

From Shape magazine, December 2006 

Use a regular skillet, not nonstick, for this recipe; it helps develop browned bits that give the sauce great flavor.

5 KEY INGREDIENTS

8 oz. linguine

1 large lemon

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch-thick

bite-size slices

1/3 cup white wine

2 cups small broccoli florets (about 4 oz.)

SERVES 4

PREP TIME 14 minutes

COOK TIME 14 minutes

FROM THE PANTRY

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Zest lemon, then juice it. Set aside.

On a large plate, season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Lightly coat both sides with flour.

In a 12-inch heavy skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Spread chicken slices in skillet and allow to sear 1 to 2 minutes, or until light golden. Turn chicken and continue to sear 1 to 2 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through. Remove chicken to plate.

Add wine, lemon juice, and 1/3 cup water to skillet and bring to a boil, stirring to deglaze pan. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broccoli, increase heat to high, and cook, covered, 1 minute or until broccoli is bright green and tender. Remove from heat.

Return chicken to skillet along with any juices on plate. Stir in remaining oil, salt, and pepper. Divide linguine among four plates and top with chicken and broccoli mixture. Garnish with lemon zest.

Nutrition score per serving: 429 calories, 20% fat (9 g; 1 g saturated), 45% carbs (47 g), 33% protein (34 g), 1 g fiber, 29 mg calcium, 3 mg iron, 359 mg sodium

Mal was critical of his chicken piccata with linguine dish tonight, but I thought the meal came out very delicious! The lemon flavor was a tad on the strong side, but that was my fault. I guess I got a little carried away with it!

Our dinner guests brought brownies and vanilla ice cream to make brownie sundaes for dessert… and then they made them for Mal and me! Dave and Marie are so nice!!

Our guests warmed the brownies in the microwave and then topped them with ice cream. I let my ice cream melt a little before eating it, so it was a mushy mess of gooey brownie and creamy vanilla ice cream. Simply divine! 

Time for bed! Good night!