Recipe: Chicken Piccata & Lemon Risotto
+ new NYC spots I tried this week and healthy peanut butter balls
This week I went to Korean BBQ for the first time at Let’s Meat BBQ with a bunch of my coworkers, which was a fun and tasty experience. I loved all the sauces and interactive elements of making your own lettuce wraps with meat, sauce, rice, kimchi, and more. For meats we ordered spicy rib eye (the best one), hanger steak, and teriyaki chicken. The guy below gives a great visual guide to Korean BBQ.
And before that, we froze our asses off hanging outside at Bar Primi for a couple of hours. I love a spritz with an olive, and their iconic Bar Primi engraved ice cubes make me want to design my own signature ice cube mold.
Right now, I am doing an experiment which is making “healthy” peanut butter balls. It’s just a mixture of creamy unsweetened peanut butter, real maple, and coconut flour dipped in melted dark chocolate and topped with flaky sea salt. I followed this recipe and used Teddie peanut butter, Hu dark chocolate baking chips, and Maldon flaky sea salt. It was very satisfying to roll the balls and dip them in chocolate. I just tried one from the freezer, and it was great. I am getting another one.
Now for the chicken piccata recipe. My boyfriend says this is his favorite dish I make, and that I should make it for us once a week. It is a fan favorite amongst my family as well.
Chicken Piccata with Lemon Risotto and Roasted Asparagus
Bell & Evans thin sliced chicken breasts, 1 pack
1 egg
Almond flour, 1 cup
Fresh grated parmesan, 3/4 cup ( I love the Mitica brand from Whole Foods)
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil, a few TBSP for cooking
Kerrygold garlic and herb butter, a few TBSP for cooking
Arborio rice, 1 cup
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
Dry white wine or rosé, 3/4 cup (you can never go wrong with a french wine)
Chicken stock, 32 oz
Asparagus, a bunch
Capers, 1-2 TBSP
2 lemons, juiced
For the CHICKEN, start by getting your coating ingredients together. Whisk an egg in a dish. Mix almond flour, parmesan, salt and pepper in another dish. Now take your chicken and dip both sides in egg and then the almond flour mix, and repeat for all the chicken cutlets.
Turn your frying pan to medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of garlic and herb butter. Fry the chicken cutlets for two minutes on each side.
For the PICCATA SAUCE, deglaze your frying pan with a 1/4 cup of wine. Add in another tablespoon or two of garlic and herb butter. Reduce the sauce for a few minutes and add in your capers and juice of one lemon. Serve on top of the chicken.
For the RISOTTO, finely chop 1/2 of a sweet onion and add it to a pot with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté the onion on medium-high heat until it is translucent. Add in a cup of rice and 1/2 cup of wine. Mix until there is no more liquid left in the pot. Add 1 cup of chicken stock and continue to stir the rice until it is incorporated. Repeat this step until all 32 oz of chicken stock has been added to the pot. This will take approximately 20 minutes. When the rice has absorbed all of the liquid, the risotto is done. Turn off the heat and mix in 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan, juice of one lemon, and salt and pepper to taste.
For the ASPARAGUS, preheat the oven to 425. Wash the asparagus and trim the ends. Throw them in a baking dish and toss with about a tablespoon of olive oil and a few twists each of salt and pepper. You can add a few slices of lemon on top of the asparagus if you like. Roast for 10 minutes.
Time to enjoy your meal!
