Lemon Chicken Piccata with Rice for Flushing Out Stagnant Energy | Sara's Kitchen Witchcraft
- Sara Raztresen
- 12 hours ago
- 3 min read
Chicken and rice season is back. Help me.
Know what season it is?
Cutting season.
AKA, the worst season ever. Because suddenly I can't just gobble up whatever I want and somehow end up at maintenance energy for the day. I gotta consciously cut back a bit to get a little leaner after several months of lifting like a crazy person. Such is the way of someone who is trying to look like a murder-bot and can only manage the most ridiculous sleeper build of all time. (I, a 29 year old woman, am short and drowning in my baggy gym clothes enough that I basically look like I'm 12 until I flex.)
But there's no better Lean Meal than chicken and rice—and also no more boring meal than that. So we're gonna dress it up a little by making lemon chicken piccata: something zesty, with tasty capers and a light breading, so we can be happy while getting the lean gains.
For this meal, therefore, we're looking at capers, lemon, rice, and parsley.
Magic in Lemon Chicken Piccata and Rice
Did you know capers are just briny, salty, vinegary little flower buds? Ones that are plucked and pickled before they're able to bloom? Knowing that, it feels like these things are very much capable of packing a punch, as they're full of the tension of a flower right before they burst into all their petals and colors: it's the ultimate starting point that we can carry with us to erase all the issues of the past while also charging us up to march forward with our goals. Add the lemon's purifying, cleansing acid and the stability and protective aspects of rice and parsley, and we have the spiritual equivalent of a locked and loaded gun that's lined up for the perfect shot.
Now, if there's anything I associate with speed and swiftness and agility and all that, it's the element of air, and luckily, that makes up half of what we got going on in this recipe. We also have a little water from the lemon and a little fire from the capers, and planetary influences of Mercury, the Moon, and Mars. All of this lightens the mood and balances that feeling vs. doing tension that we're wrapped up in as we transition from the colder months to the warmer ones.
Lemon Piccata Chicken and Rice
Prep time: 15 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Makes 2-4 servings
Ingredients:
1-2lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders, sliced thin
1/2 cup all purpose flour for dredging chicken
2 cups chicken stock
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
2oz capers
Fresh parsley for garnish
240g (1 cup) rice, rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cut chicken breasts in half for thinner pieces if using, or use thinner chicken tenders.
Dry, salt, pepper, and then dredge chicken in flour. Shake off excess flour.
In a heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil on medium low and coat the whole pan.
When the pot is hot enough (a drop of water should sizzle on it), sear the chicken on each side until browned, then set aside.
Add butter, then dice and fry onion until translucent. Add garlic and fry until fragrant.
Add lemon juice, zest, and capers, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot.
Add chicken stock, stir everything to combine, add rice and chicken back to the pot, and then let cook on low for 20min.
Turn the heat off and check the rice. If it's still a little wet, cover it and let it sit off the heat for another few minutes.
Serve with fresh parsley, parmesan cheese, and/or another squeeze of lemon juice.
Playing with the classic chicken and rice staple is the only way I can live during these times, because you simply will not catch me eating some rubber piece of plain, boiled sadness. This, however, is punchy, easy, delicious, and still great for hitting protein goals while not sacrificing the joy in your life. Definitely try it out for those busy weeknights, too! ♥
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Sara Raztresen is a Slovene-American writer, screenwriter, and Christian witch. Her fantasy works draw heavily on the wisdom she gathers from her own personal and spiritual experience, and her spiritual practice borrows much of the whimsy and wonder that modern society has relegated to fairy-and-folktale. Her goal is to help people regain their spiritual footing and discover God through a new (yet old) lens of mysticism.