Spring Onion Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is one of my favorite Italian dishes, and I think it is great year round.  The lemon and white wine sauce is bright and full of flavor, and great for the spring.  I usually make this with onions and scallions, but I subbed in 5 spring onions from the farm share for both.  This version also saves some time, because the spring onions cook a lot faster than their full grown counterparts.  I also made quinoa with carmelized onions to serve on the side.  Simply prepped orzo, angel hair pasta, or couscous work well too.  

Chicken Piccata Recipe

Cut two boneless, skinless chicken breast in half to give you 4 pieces of chicken.  Cover with plastic wrap or wax paper, and pound until each piece is more or less uniformly 1/4 inch thick.  Make sure the chicken is quite dry, then season well with salt and pepper and dredge through a medium sized bowl with a cup or so of flour in it.  Shake off excess flour, and repeat with other 3 pieces of chicken.

In a heavy skillet just big enough to hold all the chicken, heat 2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil (I use grapeseed) with 1-2 tablespoons of butter on medium high.  When the oil and butter stop sizzling, add the chicken and cook without moving it, turning only once, until just brown on both sides (about 4 minutes per side).  Remove chicken to a plate and tent with foil.  Pour off any remaining fat in pan, and add one more tablespoon of butter.

Add 4-6 spring onions, both white and green parts, and saute for about two minutes until softened.  Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour over this mixture and toss to combine.  

Deglaze the pan with 3/4 cup of dry white wine (I usually use sauvignon blanc - chardonnay tends to have too much oak flavor) and the juice of 1 large lemon, scraping up any brow bits.  Add the zest of about half of the lemon.  Add 1 tablespoon of rinsed and lightly crushed capers and toss to combine.  Return the chicken to the pan, cover, and reduce heat to low, simmering until the chicken is cooked through (about 4-5 minutes).  Add additional salt/pepper to taste if necessary.  

If you want to work in some extra greens to the meal, serve over arugula or pea shoots, either of which will wilt nicely.  The peppery arugula should complement the bright flavors in the reduced white wine sauce.  Top everything with some chopped parsley and enjoy!

Caramelized Onion Quinoa Recipe

Adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.  I highly suggest you pick this cookbook up, whether you're a vegetarian or not.  This is essentially a double recipe, which I suggest because quinoa is cheap and good for you and leftovers are great with just about anything, or just plain.  

Quinoa, besides being a great play in Scrabble, is a versatile and healthy grain that can be used in a similar manner to couscous or rice.  While it is actually a seed and not a grain, that is really neither here nor there in terms of how it tastes beneath chicken piccata.  While it would be fine cooked plain and served with the chicken, I  wanted to try something a little more interesting.

Put 3-4 large onions (yellow, red, or a mix thereof), halved and sliced thin, and about a teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium heat.  Cover and cook occasionally for about 25 minutes.  Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar or molasses and continue cooking for 15 minutes.

Turn the heat up to medium high, and add two cups of quinoa, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Stir as grains start toasting and popping - this should be about 5 minutes, then add 3 cups of vegetable stock (preferably homemade, you can also use chicken stock, beer, or even water) and bring to a boil.  Stir once again, add any fresh herbs your would like (I used, and recommend about 6 springs of fresh thyme), cover, and set heat to low.  Cook until liquid is absorbed.  Check after 15 minutes.  If the grains are hard (a little toothiness is OK), add a little more liquid and cook for another 5 minutes.  When ready, taste and add salt and pepper if you'd like.  Serve immediately or at room temperature.

The quinoa will be surprisingly sweet from both the sugar and caramelized onions.  I think it works nicely with the tart piccata sauce, but this would be good with just about any grilled meats or veggies.