Chicken Piccata & Cauliflower Mash

I love, love, LOVE lemon sauce! One of my favorite dishes pre-paleo was chicken piccata, so of course I had to remake it! My recipe skips all of the flour, but definitely none of the flavor! The key to this sauce is using fresh lemon juice, it really makes all the difference! I used meyer lemons, because I love the flavor of them, but you can use whatever type of lemon you’d like.

If you’re new to cauliflower mash, be prepared to be amazed! I know I was the first time I tried it, it tastes almost identical to mashed potatoes! I’ve been messing around with different ways to make it over the past few months, and I’ve found that I really love using my immersion blender to make the mash. If you don’t own an immersion blender, no worries at all, you can simply use your food processor or blender. You could even use a potato masher! No rules! Happy cooking!

Ingredients –

Cauliflower Mash:

• 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2-3 tbsp ghee (or grassfed butter if you do dairy)
• Salt to taste

Chicken Piccata:

• 2 chicken breasts, butterflied (preferably pastured/organic)
• ¼ cup of ghee (or grassfed butter if you do dairy)
• 3 shallots, minced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup white wine (optional – or use extra chicken broth)
• ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 large lemons)
• 2-4 tsp arrowroot powder (optional, depending how thick you want the sauce to be)
• 1 lemon, sliced (ends discarded)
• 3 tbsp capers, rinsed
• 1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions –

Cauliflower Mash:

1. Place a couple inches of water in a pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, place a steamer insert into the pan and add the cauliflower florets. Cover the pan and allow it to steam until the cauliflower is soft and easily pierced with a fork.

2. Drain the water out of the pan and add the cauliflower to the pan. Turn the stove back on to medium heat and allow any extra water to evaporate out of the pot. This is the key to a fluffy mash! Add the ghee/butter to the pot, and blend with an immersion blender until to smooth. Add salt to taste. Yum!

**Another option is to place the cauliflower in your food processor/blender and process/blend until smooth.

Chicken & Sauce:

1. While the cauliflower is steaming, let’s start cooking the chicken! Season the butterflied chicken breasts with salt & pepper on both sides.

2. Heat the ghee/butter in a pan over medium heat. Once the ghee has melted, and the pan is very hot, add the chicken. Cook the chicken for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until no longer pink on the inside. Careful not to overcook it!

3. Once the chicken is cooked, place it on a clean plate. Add more ghee to the pan, if needed (I didn’t need to). Add the shallots to the pan and sauté for a few minutes, or until tender. Add the garlic to the pan, and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4. Add the chicken broth, wine (optional), and lemon juice to the pan. Scrape up any brown bits, they give the sauce a ton of flavor! Simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat.

5. Whisk in the arrowroot powder, 1 tsp at a time. The sauce will thicken as it heats up.

6. Add the capers, parsley, & lemon slices to the pan. Return the chicken to the pan. Serve over the cauliflower mash! So good!