Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss

This is another Rachael Ray dinner that I discovered through my friend Brooke's blog. And for this I will be eternally grateful...

I could eat this every.single.day.

I am not kidding... I can't wait to eat this again. The flavors together were so good, it was just ridiculous. The pasta... the chicken... the capers... the sauce... YUM!!!

I took Brooke's advice and doubled the sauce, and I'm so glad I did - I can't imagine what it would be like without having done that. I adjusted the recipe below to reflect that change.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 1/3 pounds chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 shallots, chopped
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 2 cups chicken broth or stock
• 6 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked to al dente
• Chopped or snipped chives, for garnish

Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons of EVOO and the chicken to the pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken until lightly golden all over, about 5-6 minutes.Remove chicken from pan and return the skillet to the heat.

Reduce heat to medium. Add another tablespoon EVOO and one tablespoon butter, the garlic and shallots to the skillet. Sauté garlic and shallots three minutes. Add flour and cook two minutes. Whisk in wine and reduce liquid one minute. Whisk lemon juice and broth into sauce. Stir in capers and parsley. When the liquid comes to a bubble, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to the sauce to give it a little shine.

Add chicken back to the pan and heat through, 1-2 minutes. Toss hot pasta with chicken and sauce and serve. Adjust salt and pepper, to your taste. Top with fresh snipped chives.