Pinterest All Star - Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata

You may also know this by it's incorrect caption "Ranch Chicken Pasta." That's how I first encountered it, and that's really the reason why I clicked on the picture too. My sister loves, loves, LOVES ranch dressing and I thought this would be right up her alley, but unfortunately for her -and fortunately for me- the caption was wrong and it was really a recipe for Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata. Now, I don't think I need to mention how much I LOVE me a good chicken piccata, but I will anyway, because what's not to love? Tangy lemon juice and citrusy sauvignon blanc dancing a savory waltz around al dente spaghetti, while stopping now and again to mingle with tender pieces of chicken;seriously people, what's not to love? But, enough about me and my love affair with chicken piccata and more about this creamy grilled version.

To quote Ryan after his first bite, "This is really an ALL STAR!", and folks he's right. Let me break it down for you: First, the chicken. The marinade for the chicken is spot on; meaning, if you wanted to have a low carb delicious meal, you could just go ahead and have this delicous chicken with a salad and call it a day. Second, the sauce. The sauce is pretty freakin' good. I used heavy cream, because it only called for 1/2 a cup, but you could easily use Half and Half and have the same results. The sauce was really lemony, which was great because one of my concerns was that with the addition of the cream it would loose that tang that traditional chicken piccata has, but it didn't. It was tangy, creamy, and delicious. My only complaint on the sauce was that it dried up or thickened too fast, meaning it didn't stay very creamy. By the time we went in for seconds it was pretty dried up. But don't let that deter you from trying this recipe, because there is an easy fix. Just turn the pan back on low and add a splash or two of milk and stir. It will come right back to life and you can enjoy your seconds, as much as you enjoyed your firsts.

Overall, I really liked this recipe because it was easy to put together and extremely flavorful. You set the chicken to marianade the night before. Grill it when you get home while the pasta water is cooking. Throw all your sauce ingredients in a pan and voila, you got yourself and restaurant quality meal in no time! The recipe makes enough for two, if you serve a salad enough for three (allowing for seconds or generous portions of course).

Pinterest All Star - Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata
via Plain Chicken

Ingredients

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

Directions

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 (or deep skillet), 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.

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Emeril's Shrimp Scampi

What I liked about this shrimp scampi was the addition of the crushed capers. Now I don't know how Emeril intended for you to crush capers but the only way I could think of doing it at the time was through the use of a garlic press. And boy did that require some elbow grease, so much so that Ryan had to do it.

Though I did like it, it wan't "saucy" enough for me. I think next time I would add the lesser of two evils, either more butter or heavy cream. Tough choice because they are both oh soooo bad, in an oh soooo good kinda way. Oh and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to make it a little "flirtier".

Emeril's Shrimp Scampi
Recipe courtesy of Food Network

1 pound large (16-20 count per pound) shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used colosal shrimp)
2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows (I used his bottled Essence that you purchase at the grocery store)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon capers, crushed
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound cooked linguini
3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with the Essence.
Place the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add the shrimp and spread them out evenly in the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes and quickly turn the shrimp. Add the garlic and capers to the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine, lemon juice, and remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Season the shrimp with the salt and pepper and add the pasta, tossing to coat well. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the parsley. Serve hot.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Penne Rustica aka Man Pleaser

If anyone has been to Macaroni Grill they know there are two must haves, the Pasta Milano & the Penne Rustica. This rich pasta dish is a luscious mix of penne, pancetta, shrimp & grilled chicken all swimming in a decadent cream sauce. And although it might seem like it's too much work, trust me when you get a whiff of the garlic & rosemary sauteing in the butter, you won't second guess the work! You may have to hit the gym first thing in the morning though, which is why I would only recommend you make this for special occasions or as the AKA suggests to please your man or impress your friends & family.

Overall we liked the recipe very much. The sauce is too die. Is it a carbon copy of Macaroni Grill's Penne Rustica? No, but it's a good rival and I will definately be making this again.

I made a couple of changes to the recipe as the recipe I got off the internet wasn't very complete. I will write the recipe as is, but please see my notes/changes below. So without further a do here is the Man Pleaser, I mean the Penne Rustica!

Penne Rustica

Sauce:

1 tbspn Butter

1 tbspn Garlic

1/2 tbspn Dijon Mustard

1/2 tspn Salt

1/2 tspn Chopped Rosemary

1/2 cup Marsala Wine

1/8 tspn Cayenne Pepper

4 cups Heavy Cream

Saute butter, garlic and rosemary until garlic & rosemary are fragrant. Add Marsala wine and reduce by 1/3. Add remaining ingredients and reduce by half of original volume set aside.

Penne:

1/2 oz pancetta or bacon

9 ea. Shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used colossal)

6 oz. grilled chicken breast, sliced

16 oz. penne, pre-cooked

3 oz. butter

1/2 Tblspn shallots,chopped

Pinch of Salt & pepper

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 tspn paprika

Saute pancetta until it begins to brown. Add butter, shallots and shrimp. Cook until shrimp re evenly pink but still translucent. Add chicken, salt and pepper; mix thoroughly. Add sauce and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and simmer until sauce thickens. In a large bowl, combine shrimp and chicken mixture with precooked pasta. Place this mixture into single serving dishes or one large casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 300* for 10-15 minutes.

NOTES: I baked the Penne Rustica in my 2 1/2 qt. corning ware dish. I strongly recommend you bake it in a dish that is at least 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep for the sauce's sake. First off the sauce, if I would have let it reduce by 1/2 I would probably still be cooking. I did the sauce as the water boiled & the penne was done & the "penne" part was ready for the sauce. And trust me the sauce was thick enough and it didn't reduce by half. Second, I used four slices of pancetta because I couldn't bring myself to ordering 1oz at the deli. Next time I think I would add 1/2 of the 1/4 pound I bought if not all. As for the chicken I used 1 chicken breast and seasoned it with salt & pepper. Third, the Parmesan cheese is wrong. You do add a 1/2 a cup into the the mixture however, you still require more to sprinkle on top. I would sprinkle enough to cover the top but not make a full layer of cheese on top. Also I would finely grate it too as apposed to shredding it. Finally, the paprika I would just sprinkle it liberally & eye ball it. That's what's going to give it that beautiful Tuscan inspired color.

Other than that I would recommend you enjoy it with a special someone or a group of someones with a good bottle of wine and Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder's "Taking Timbuktu". I know what you're thinking this meals requires some Sinatra but trust me this Album brings the romance,sexiness and vibrance of all these wonderful flavors to life!

And just so you are sure to try this here is one last shot. This one, is a shot after we dug in so you can see all the layers of deliciousness!