Chicken Piccata with Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes & Angel Hair
We have this for dinner probably about once a week – one of everyone’s favorites. It is one of my very favorites because it takes 20 minutes to make (seriously – I timed myself!) and everyone in our family loves it. It is fairly healthy with lots of spinach, chicken and tomatoes and not too much pasta. It also feels light, but still filling and very flavorful. I love that I can stop by the store and have this on the table so quickly and everyone is excited about dinner.
I haven’t done a new dinner recipe in a while – a really long time. I think I’ve fallen into the same trap of most moms… feeding people every single day. Emma’s tastes are simpler than ours, and though she is a fairly good eater, she doesn’t want to try something new every night and, frankly, neither do I. We take comfort in our favorites – pasta, tacos, burgers, roasted chicken, soup, etc. So, when I realized this “favorite” of ours wasn’t on the blog, I thought it was a good one to add.
I’ve resolved not to cook quite as much this year – ha! We eat at home probably 5-6 nights a week, which is a lot. And while I still love cooking, I find myself burnt out when I have extra time to make something fun, because I’ve spent the entire week making basic simple kid-friendly dinners. My goal is to do more like 4 nights a week at home, 1 night easy takeout (pizza, sushi…) and two nights out.
I would say I’m also going to “resolve” to do more recipe posts, but no promises ; ) It is always my intention, but creating new products for the store has become my new job (instead of writing blog posts), and after working all day, I don’t always want to share what we have for dinner. Like you, I want to turn off “work” and just enjoy family time. I do miss writing and sharing our days here. I found it therapeutic, almost, to create this little utopia of living well. Emma has become very interested in baking lately and has really started to experiment in the kitchen. I’m not talking cake mixes and decorating cupcakes, but things like pate a choux and sponge cakes thanks to our new favorite show, The British Baking Show. So, you can look forward to new inspiration from that : )
With all of that said, the store and the School House has become so much more streamlined than it has been in the past. My helpers are so good at taking responsibility off of my shoulders that I’m finding myself with more free time, so I do hope to be here more often to share. I also have big garden plans I’m already working on for this spring. The best part of being a gardener is dreaming and planning in the winter!
Chicken Piccata with Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes & Angel Hair
4 chicken breasts (about 1 medium per person)
Garlic Salt
2/3 pounds of angel hair pasta
Sea Salt
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup of capers
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
5 oz box of baby spinach
6 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of cream
Start a pot of salted water to boil. When water boils, add pasta and cook for 2-3 minutes, then strain and give a quick rinse with cold water.* *We’ve all been taught to not rinse pasta lately and to put it directly into the sauce, so it can absorb the sauce and flavor. However, I’ve learned that with this super light sauce, it seems to all disappear into the pasta and then there is nothing to enjoy with the chicken. So, when I started rinsing with cold water, this recipe became so much better, but do what you want : ) 
Butterfly the chicken breasts by slicing them down the side, leaving the center intact. Our grocery store does this for me. Generously sprinkle garlic salt on both sides of the chicken breasts. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil. After about 1 minute, add the chicken. Cook on medium for about 6-8 minutes on each side, or until they are cooked all the way through. 
Add the butter, cream and lemon juice to the saute pan. Add the spinach, tomatoes and capers. 
Toss everything together until the spinach cooks and wilts down – it can be easier to take the chicken out during this part if your pan is too full. 
Add the pasta and toss it all together, making sure the pasta gets reheated from the sauce. Taste for seasoning – add more butter or lemon, if needed.
