I unearthed this Chickpea Piccata recipe from Appetite for Reduction while sorting through a giant stack of cookbooks from my kitchen last week. Tracy’s still got the spring cleaning bug! (yay)
You know I love a cookbook when you see tabs busting out the side…
When a recipe I’m reading calls for ingredients I already have and I’ve got the time to make it, you know I’m gonna make it. I tested it out for a lunch date with my husband (we both work from home) because our child would never eat a chickpea.
I am quite happy to report that this Chickpea Piccata recipe impressed my meat-eating husband. Add another banger to my pantry meal list!
I wish I could tell my 20-year-old self that we’re going to love capers one day! This Chicken Piccata recipe changed the game for me.
These chickpeas are saucy, which makes them a PERFECT addition to mashed potatoes. I did alter things by adding chicken stock instead of vegetable stock and finishing with butter for extra oomph!
For all you arugula lovers…
Get your bowls ready!
Ingredients involved. I forgot to put the olive oil in the frame.
You’re also going to need to prep some mashed potatoes while you’re working on your chickpeas. You can serve without it. I bet the chickpeas would be good over pasta, too.
Shallots + garlic with oil. Saute.
Add breadcrumbs and brown them a bit.
Stock goes in! The breadcrumbs thicken the sauce. It’s alchemy.
After the sauce is reduced, we add in the chickpeas and capers.
We finish with lemon juice, butter and parsley.
To serve, put arugula at the bottom of the bowl.
Mashed potato addition.
Spoon it over the top!
mmmm
Keep going!
What a pretty meal.
Leftovers are even better the next day.
I love it when that happens!
Chickpea Piccata
serves 3-4
recipe adapted from Appetite for Reduction
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced shallots
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 2 cups chicken stock (use vegetable if vegetarian!)
- a few pinches of freshly ground black pepper
- a generous pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup capers with a little brine
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
- mashed potatoes
- 4 cups arugula
Saute shallots and garlic in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until golden brown. Add the breadcrumbs and toast them, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes (they’ll be a couple of shades darker). Add the chicken stock, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a rolling boil, and let the sauce reduce by half.
Add the chickpeas and capers to the sauce and cook until warmed through, about 4 minutes. Stir in the butter, add the lemon juice and parsley, and turn off the heat.
If you’re serving with mashed potatoes, place the arugula in a wide bowl. Place the mashed potatoes on top of the arugula and ladle the piccata over the potatoes. The arugula will wilt nicely. If you are serving the piccata solo, just pour it right over the arugula.
