Chicken Piccata with Spinach Fettucine

This recipe is one of my favorites, it never fails to please.  It also keeps well, and the breaded cutlets make an excellent snack or sandwich later.  I have made this for fancy dinner parties, intimate dinners for two, family gatherings, etc. and in all cases, it was a winner.  I like to pair it with Colavita Fettucine Nests because the dried pasta ends up so tender, and the nests are perfectly divided into quanties for each person.  So if I have 2 people, I use 2-3 nests, and so on...and the proportions work well.

Chicken Piccata with Spinach Fettucine (for 2)

Here's what I used:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (bowl #1 for dredging)
1 extra-large egg (bowl #2 for dredging)
1/2 tablespoon water
3/4 cup italian bread crumbs (bowl #3 for dredging)
Olive Oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
1/2 cup dry white wine

Sliced lemon, for serving
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving

Here's what I did:

Preheated oven to 400 degrees.

For preparation, I first rinsed, dried, and then pounded the chicken breasts to 1/4" thickness, by placing the breasts individually in a large ziplock bag, and then pounding flat with a mallet (you can also use the bottom of a drinking glass).  I also set up the three shallow bowls for dredging the chicken.  In the first bowl, mix flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  In the second bowl, beat egg and water together.  Fill the third bowl with bread crumbs.

Prior to dredging the chicken, season both sides of each breast with salt and pepper.  Then, dredge each chicken breast in the Flour, then Egg, and finally Bread Crumb Bowls.  If there are any bare spots, re-dredge with egg, and then bread crumbs to ensure an even coating.

Once chicken is fully breaded, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in non-stick skillet over medium heat, 2 minutes per side.  Then add to a cookie sheet and allow to bake in oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, set a large stockpot of water to boil for the pasta.  Cook pasta as directed, for an al dente finish.

For the sauce, over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp of butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine.

Plate pasta, with chicken overtop, and then drizzle with sauce.  Add chopped parsley overtop for garnish.

This is an instant classic.  Enjoy!