Piccata Style

This past Christmas, we received one of those electric rotisseries from my in-laws.  We were excited to get this but it took us three months to use it.  We shouldn't have waited that long.  M thought a chicken would be the first thing we should try.  So, we got a chicken, seasoned that puppy up, and stuck it on the spit.  About an hour and a half later, dinner was done.  It was really easy and the chicken was super tasty and moist.  But, do you know what comes with cooking a whole chicken?  That's right, taking all of the chicken off the bone.  I hate doing this.  There are all sorts of grossness that are in a chicken but I don't want to talk about that.  Anyway, I was in up to my elbows in this mess and I got a call from my cousin.  She wanted to congratulate me on my blog!  She thinks it is a fabulous idea and I love her for saying that!  Love you, cuz!

Now that I had all of this leftover chicken, I had to figure out something to do with it.  There's always the soup option but I wasn't feeling like soup.  A day went by and it was still in the fridge.  It needed to get eaten.  When all else fails, add it to some pasta because when does a big bowl of pasta not make you feel better after a rough day?  But what kind of sauce?  Red, alfredo?  When M is involved in these decisions, his answer typically leans towards piccata.

M loves Chicken Piccata.  Our first date, this is what he ordered.  And he ate the whole plate!  This plate was huge.  But for anyone who knows M, you know what this boy can put away.  For me, piccata is just not one of my favorites.  I am not a big caper fan which is strange since I love anything salty.  But I thought this would be a good option since we already had the lemons and the capers.

I thought about just doing a standard chicken piccata but remember, the chicken was already cooked and in pieces.  We also had shredded mozzarella and some sliced provolone.  Then I got thinking, what about a baked ziti kind of thing but piccata style?  My friends, this may now be the only way I will eat chicken piccata.  It was delicious and a fantastic way to use up leftover chicken.  And it was sort of fake baked.  I didn't put it in the oven to bake; I cooked it on the stovetop, put it in a casserole dish, and stuck it under the broiler.  The cheese gets all brown and bubbly this way and who doesn't love brown and bubbly cheese?

Fake-Baked Ziti, Chicken Piccata Style
A recipe by Noelle at A Homemade Kitchen 

This recipe calls for already cooked chicken.  However, if you do not have any cooked chicken, you could either pick up one of those already cooked chickens from the grocery store or cook some up yourself.  Just cook up the chicken in the same pan you will use for the sauce.  Heat the pan, add some olive oil, and cook the chicken. Remove the chicken from the pan and continue on with the recipe.  It will just add another layer of flavor to the sauce.

Remember to actually put the chicken in with the sauce.  I forgot this step and got my casserole all nice and pretty.  Then, I am about to put it under the broiler and I see the chicken on the counter.  I then proceed to take off what cheese I could and then arrange the chicken on top and put the cheese back on.  It is much easier to mix it all together first.

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1 pound ziti, cooked to al dente, plus 2 ladles of reserved pasta water
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 shallots, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup milk
zest and juice of one lemon
2 tbsp capers
a handful of chopped fresh parsley
shredded mozzarella and/or provolone
grated cheese
chopped fresh tomato, optional

Preheat the broiler to high.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.  Once the water comes to a boil, salt the water liberally and drop in the pasta.

In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil.  Add the shallots and garlic.  Sautee for about two minutes.  Whisk in the flour and let it cook for about one minute.  Then add the chicken stock and whisk in.  Season with salt and pepper as needed.  Stir in the two reserved ladles of pasta water.  Add the chicken and cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened.  Stir in the milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and capers.

When the pasta is done, drain it and put it back in the same pot.  You can then toss the pasta with some butter and grated cheese, if desired.  Otherwise, just add the pasta to the sauce.  Toss the sauce and pasta well.  Add the parsley and stir to combine.

Put the entire pasta mixture into a broiler safe casserole dish.  Top with the mozzarella and/or provolone.  Place it under the broiler for about 5 minutes until the cheese is gold and bubbly.  Serve immediately topped with the chopped raw tomatoes and grated cheese.

Note:  You could also add about 1/4 cup of white wine right before you add the chicken stock.  You may also serve extra capers at the table.  M always puts more on.