If my husband has one flaw, it’s that he doesn’t love olives or other briny things. It’s okay, though, really, because my daughter and I share the jars of pickles, olives, and sauerkraut in our fridge. My kid loves garlic-dill sauerkraut, and I can only imagine what the other kids at school think at lunchtime when she chows down on it. I don’t mind one bit, because the brand I buy is raw, making it great for her gut health. Capers, though, are a tough sell for Camille. When I make my Chicken Cacciatore for Two, she picks around the capers. I can’t understand why; I frequently remind her that a caper is like a tiny pickle. I’m wondering if their shape reminds her of peppercorns, which she knows to avoid?
Lemon Chicken Piccata with Capers
The story has a happy ending: this Lemon Chicken Piccata is what won Camille over with capers. She now loves capers and takes delight in their sour punchy bite. Finally, she’s on my side again!
While my husband still picks around the capers in this Lemon Chicken Piccata, he does admit that the buttery lemon sauce on the noodles is delicious. He loves this chicken dinner for two. I secretly saw him eat a caper or two last time I made it, too. I love this chicken dinner for two also because I can toss it all together in one pan right before serving. Yes, you have to cook the pasta in a separate pot, but after draining, the noodles go right into the pan that the chicken cooked in.
How to make lemon chicken piccata:
It’s just easier to remove the chicken from the pan for a minute while you toss the noodles in the sauce. You want every inch of noodles coated in this delicious buttery, lemony pan sauce. Oh, this is the heavy 9" skillet that I use for this recipe. I use spaghetti noodles, because that’s what I always keep on hand, but angel hair pasta is more traditional. Use your favorite noodles!
Cooking for two tips:
If you’re making this for a romantic dinner for two, make it once to practice first, ok? It’s never a good idea to make something for the first time on a date night. That is, unless one or both of you are pretty adept in the kitchen and you have two sets of hands in case anything goes wrong.
The only tricky part about this dish is having the pasta ready at the same time as the chicken. If you bring the pasta water to a boil the same time you start searing the chicken, it should be fully at a boil when it’s time to add the sauce ingredients to the pan. While the chicken finishes cooking all the way through in the sauce for 8-10 minutes, the pasta cooks. Everything is done at the same time like magic! I love it when that happens! So grab two plates, and a bottle of your favorite white wine (I love the crispness of Pinot Grigio here to match the acidity of the lemon), and enjoy this romantic dinner for two!
