Chicken Piccata

This meal, designed for campouts, is quick and easy, and takes very little home prep. The pasta provides the carbohydrates that hikers crave. Serve it with a simple green salad and a good baguette.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/4  pounds  boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/2  teaspoon  paprika
• 2  tablespoons  lemon juice
• 1  cup  dry white wine
• 1  cup  reduced-sodium chicken broth or water
• 3  tablespoons  drained capers
• 2  tablespoons  cornstarch
• 10  ounce  dried fettuccine, linguine, or spaghetti
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  butter or margarine
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. At home: Slice chicken breast halves across grain into 1/2-inch-thick strips and mix with paprika. Seal in a plastic freezer bag and chill up to 1 day or freeze up to 1 month.

2. Mix lemon juice with wine, chicken broth, capers, and cornstarch. Pour sauce into a small unbreakable container and seal. Chill up to 3 days.

3. Transport chicken and sauce in an insulated chest.

4. In camp: Cook pasta, uncovered, in about 4 quarts boiling water until tender to bite, about 7 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, combine oil and butter in a 9- to 10-inch nonstick frying pan over high heat. When hot, add about half the chilled (thawed) chicken strips and stir-fry until pieces are slightly browned and still faintly pink in the center (cut to test), 2 to 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer cooked chicken to a bowl. Repeat to cook remaining chicken, then return cooked chicken to pan.

6. Shake sauce to mix and pour it into the pan with the chicken. Stir until sauce boils rapidly.

7. Drain pasta and serve topped with chicken and sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

513 (11% from fat)

Protein:

42g

Fat:

6g (sat 1.7)

Carbohydrate:

58g

Fiber:

1.7g

Sodium:

542mg

Cholesterol:

86mg