Chicken Piccata with Orzo

The day before D made this, I was telling my brother I didn't like piccata. Mostly because I despise capers. Not as bad as olives. So imagine my surprise when this was on the menu for last night. And more shocking was that I picked it. (D loves piccata, so I must have been feeling nice).

It was quick, and I assume easy. We both thought it was strange there was no flour but eh. D picked the capers out of my sauce. The taste was very good. Rich with a zing. The orzo was merely a side.

Will have again.

Chicken Piccata with Orzo

Lemon rind gives the orzo floral, muted citrus notes, a nice companion to the zingy sauce.

Other Time: 20 minutes minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup orzo, 1 cutlet, and 2 tablespoons sauce)

1 cup uncooked orzo
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon capers

1. Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain. Stir in rind.

2. While orzo cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm. Add wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add broth and lemon juice; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup. Remove from heat; add butter, stirring until butter melts. Stir in parsley and capers. Serve over orzo.

CALORIES 345 ; FAT 8.5g (sat 2.7g,mono 3.6g,poly 0.8g); CHOLESTEROL 73mg; CALCIUM 22mg; CARBOHYDRATE 33g; SODIUM 328mg; PROTEIN 32g; FIBER 1.9g; IRON 1.1mg

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2010