Most of you would refer to this dish as a form of chicken piccata, but to my family we will always refer to this dish as “Al’s Chicken.” I grew up in an Italian family (this is Kari writing), my Grandpa’s best friend was Al Bianchi. Al was a great man that loved his friends like they were his family and always invited us over to his house for Sunday dinner where we would enjoy “Al’s Chicken” in his kitchen. The entire ceiling of Al’s kitchen was a mural of the Italian flag. We had many good times with Al and I’m pretty sure he is smiling down on me now as I write this post knowing that we are still making his famous chicken and thinking of him!
Typically we put our GTK spin on traditional recipes but there was no way we were gong to touch Al’s chicken, it’s perfect just the way it is.
Normally we would walk you through step by step how to make this dish in our blog post, but you can read the recipe for that. For this blog post I would rather reflect on some funny stories about Al and my Gramps, they really were quiet the pair! One story that we always laugh about to this day is what would occur in church most Sundays. Like most Italians, I grew up in a Catholic home and my grandparents were a huge part of my daily life. We would often drive across the bridge to Seattle to attend Sunday mass with them. Al would take his position standing up in the back of the church. If mass was running a bit late, Al would give the priest the “time-out” signal with his hands and within minutes the church service would conclude. Only Al could get away with pulling that off and still having the priest adore him! Oh, and he would always refer to the priest as “Padre.”
After church we would go back to my grandparents where I would join my Nana and Mom and any other women that happened to be over at their house in the kitchen and we would get cracking on making a homemade Italian dinner. My Grandpa’s closest friends (Al, Joe Pine, Father Phil, Frank Suja and often times a few others) would filter in the door and take their designated positions on the couch to watch a Mariners baseball game or a boxing match on TV. My Nana would typically have Julio Iglesias jamming in the background and my Gramps would have another baseball game going on the radio next to him. We would all join together for an early dinner which always included pasta with red sauce….always, along with a million other dishes which were all amazing. After dinner the women would work on the dishes while the men would return to their respective positions on the couch. One by one the men would fall asleep with the top button on their pants unbuttoned and their hand halfway tucked into their waistband. They would all proceed to snore in rhythm until they woke up for dessert. Looking back on this now it makes me laugh at the traditional gender roles, but we always knew that my Nana was the true boss and matriarch of the family! There were very few Sunday dinners that went by where Al wasn’t there with us, he was like a second grandpa.
I have a million more stories about the funny memories and dynamics of my grandparents and Al and the good times we had with them. Reflecting back it really is amazing how sharing meals together with family and friends brings people together and forms memories that will last a lifetime. Courtney and I have the same values and we always talk about how important it is to take that time out to sit around the table and spend time together with the ones you love.
Al’s Chicken is hands down one of the most requested dishes from my kids and my husband. I will make sure that all 3 of my kids know how to make this dish inside and out so they too can pass it on to their families one day and reflect on their own stories and memories that come to mind when they make Al’s chicken. I hope you love Al’s Chicken as much as we do and that you are able to form your own special memories when you make this dish!
Here is a pic of Al Bianchi (standing) and my Gramps, you can tell by the photo that they really shared a special bond together.
Al Bianchi & Gramps
- 2 lbs chicken breast tenders, trimmed
- ¼ C flour
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp good quality olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 lemon cut into slices
- ½ C dry white wine
- 1 C chicken broth
- ⅓ C heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp capers, drained
- 1 Tbsp parsley
- kosher salt and cracked pepper
- Place chicken between two sheets of wax paper, use a kitchen mallet to pound out chicken. Line chicken on a seperate piece of wax paper.
- Season both sides of chicken with S&P.
- Place flour on a plate and coat both sides of chicken with flour.
- Heat butter and olive oil in a large sautee pan over medium heat. Add chicken, cooking each side approx 3 mins. Chicken will not be fully cooked - you will return the chicken to the pan later. Remove from pan and set aside on a plate.
- Deglaze pan with white wine, use a whisk to mix in bown pieces from chicken - whisk about 30 seconds until wine cooks off. Add lemon juice, chicken broth and cream. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for approx 5 minutes. Return chicken to the pan and continue to simmer until sauce thickens, about an additional 4 minutes.
- Top with capers and parsley and serve with a spoonful of sauce over the chicken, garnish with fresh lemon wedges.