To be honest, lately I have been really busy with school, homework and work, so when it came to choosing a recipe I didn’t really have much time to consider what I wanted to make, which left me picking something at the very last second. The night before I was supposed to have a recipe picked out, I ran to the library on my way home after work in search of a recipe. Of course, it took quite a few minutes to figure out where exactly I was supposed to find the cookbooks as well as how to get there and once I found the Italian cookbook section, they didn’t even have the book I has previously written down—or any others for the culture I was doing that I would be able to check out at that moment in time. I assumed they already got checked out by other students taking the class and decided to leave the library, unsure of how else I was going to be able to find a recipe so last minute. Once I got home I called my mom, who has a collection of cookbooks, in a panic and asked her if she would be able to find any recipes I could use for the class.
I ended up picking chicken piccata, which is one of the recipes my mother gave me, because it seemed to be just the right amount of difficulty, not too easy or terribly hard. I was pretty familiar with the recipe, I had eaten it before quite a few times back when I lived at home and I had first tried it from a family friend. I had never cooked chicken before because I had been too scared, afraid I would undercook it and get salmonella or something. So, I figured this dish would serve as a good experience in case I ever decide to cook chicken in the future.
While I visiting home last year, sometime on break, I discovered the Cheesecake Factory added chicken piccata to their menu and I was curious so I decided to order it, but once I got my entrée I was kind of disappointed. The dish was only okay at best; I personally prefer my mom’s homemade version because the recipe calls for chicken covered in flour with bread crumbs and the one I got at the restaurant wasn’t even breaded, an unauthentic version of the dish. I don’t really blame them since they aren’t an Italian restaurant but was still disappointed and will probably never order it from there again. I prefer a homemade version of this dish over one I ordered from the restaurant. I’m going to try to make the recipe my mom usually follows and hope mine will turn out just as well as hers usually does!
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I have never had chicken piccata, and like you said, i would be scared to cook chicken too. Its scary to cook just because it needs to be cooked just right. i think that you are really brave for taking the chance, and if i am to eat it, i will probably order it at a restaurant, not the cheesecake factory, or have someone make it for me.
This dish sounds and looks delicious, no joke. You might have convinced me to have some one day. Anyways, I like your middle paragraph because you start getting personal and you talk about its role in your family. It would be awesome if you could go more in depth with that. Good job.
I love Chicken Picatta also, but I’ve only ever had the cheesecake factory version. Now I’m going to have to find the authentic version, since you said the cheesecake factories in not even close to what it is supposed to taste like. I’m excited to try it!
Hi Nicole–Maybe something about your mom’s cooking and Italian heritage would be nice to add. Otherwise it sounds a bit like okay I have to do my homework and here it is.