Piccata Milanese with Pasta

Of all the meals our mom has made us over the years, I would have to say one of my favorite types has always been the kind where you can twirl some pasta lightly coated in a sauce, and eat it with a bite of something else delicious, like chicken parm, stacked eggplant, or a perfectly sauced meatball. These dinners have always been so satisfying to me, and this chicken piccata milanese fits just right into the little-bit-of-everything-bite type.

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A classic piccata with a twist!

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Traditionally, a piccata dish usually involves a thinly sliced browned meat, accompanied by lemon, butter, and capers. This sauce combo is so delicious, as many of us have tried the lemon and butter match made in heaven, but maybe not with the capers which add a zingy and briny addition that makes this flavor combination taste unique. While a classic piccata is always divine, I couldn't help but think about how a breaded chicken milanese topped with fresh lemon juice is a bite that I can never resist, which led me to the best of both worlds, a piccata milanese.

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What's so special about this piccata milanese?

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For some reason this combination only came to me recently, which is something I'm honestly super sad about, because now I'll need to eat this weekly to make up for the previous lull! Here's why you need this in your life too-

1. Chicken milanese - pan-fried, crispy, thin, breaded chicken, need I say more?
2. Piccata - sometimes meals seem to have the same flavor combos, but with the capers thrown into the mix, your tastebuds will wake right up and thank you for the briny non-boring joy!
3. Chicken milanese + piccata - crispy chicken, topped with a buttery and lemony sauce, again, need I say more?
4. Easy and ready in 45 minutes - always the best!
5. Chicken milanese + piccata +  pasta - this is served with a sauce-coated pasta, which ensures the best pasta bite of your life.

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What's the first step for this breaded chicken lemony dish?

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You'll start off this recipe by making a classic chicken milanese, which is one of my favorite staple dinner dishes that I could eat once a week (at a minimum) and be filled with absolute joy. Here's what you'll need for the chicken with breadcrumbs:

• chicken breasts
• kosher salt and black pepper
• flour
• eggs
• milk
• breadcrumbs
• extra-virgin olive oil

Once you have the above, the breaded chicken is so easy, and when you flip that first piece over to the perfectly golden crumbs, you'll be filled with absolute joy too. The instructions for this milanese include:

1. Pounding the chicken breasts until very thin, which is in my opinion, the most important step by far! For some reason, thin chicken with breadcrumbs is really just incredible.
2. Seasoning both sides liberally with kosher salt and black pepper.
3. Dredging each piece in flour, dipping it in the eggs and milk, then pressing it into the breadcrumbs.
4. Cooking each side in a hot skillet with olive oil until golden.

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Where does the piccata come in to play?

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Once the chicken milanese is cooked and coated in perfecly golden breadcrumbs, it's time to cook up some pasta. For light, silky, buttery sauces like the one in this recipe, I find angel hair to be so delightful for tossing in the sauce. Linguine or spaghetti would also be perfect, or any other thin shape you love. Then time for the piccata ingredients!

• butter - of course, and so delicious with the lemon
• lemon zest and juice - the juice is great, but the zest really ensures the flavor isn't overshadowed by the capers
• chicken broth - since you'll toss the pasta in the sauce and reserve some for the chicken, adding a little broth helps thin the sauce out perfectly
• capers - the piccata essential!

Making the sauce is as easy as melting the butter in a large skillet (I recommend grabbing a new one, not the one the chicken was cooked in, due to the residual hot oil and breadcrumbs that may be left in that one), then adding some black pepper and the lemon zest. The black pepper creates a bit of a cacio e pepe vibe here, which is naturally ideal. The next step is just to add in the chicken broth, lemon juice, and capers, and simmer that for a few minutes.

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How does this all come together?

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It's as easy as draining that pasta, tossing it in the sauce, plating it, then grabbing the reserved chicken.

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Time to piccata this pasta

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And then, of course, topping with extra lemon zest, which is essential for this lemony dish!

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I am so happy to have stumbled upon what might bring two of the best classics together, and I hope you'll love every  pasta-twirled bite accompanied by the zestiest, butteriest, caper-brightened, breaded chicken.