Chicken Piccata Lab

                                                        Chicken Piccata Lab Reflection

                                                                   By: Cecilia Park

1. In the lab,  what went well was cooking the pasta since it's simple task and cooking the chicken. What I could have improved on was managing my time because the sauce was last minute since it took a little longer than expected to cook the chicken until it reached 165 degrees. 

2. In the lab, I used moist cooking techniques such as simmering and boiling and dry cooking techniques such as pan frying. I used boiling since we had to boil the angel hair pasta and I used simmering for the sauce when we had to combine broth-flour mixture, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Lastly, I used pan frying because I fried the chicken in a non- stick skillet along with sautéing the mushrooms and garlic in the pan.

3. The sauce complimented the chicken since the chicken was spiced with pepper and salt and the sauce had capers which are also very salty. The sauce also counteracted with the chicken since the sauce also had a tangy taste due to the lemon. Another way the sauce enhanced the dish was by adding a visual appearance since it had many colorful ingredients such as lemon, capers and parsley.

4. The herbs used in the recipe, such as parsley, enhanced the flavor and appearance of the sauce and were used as a garnish for the chicken. The spices used in the recipe, salt and pepper, gave the chicken some flavor and made the sauce enjoyable to eat.

5. Cooking made the color of the chicken go from a pink, raw color to a white, cooked color. Sautéing the mushrooms and garlic made them have a darker, brown color and by boiling the pasta, it made it from breakable and hard to soft and chewy.

6. The aroma of the chicken smelled amazing and the sizzle of cooking the chicken and vegetables reminded me of being in an italian restaurant. The taste of the chicken was really good since all of the flavors from the chicken, pasta and sauce complimented each other. Lastly, the chicken and pasta were perfect because when I broke them apart, they were cooked all of the way. 

7. I used many techniques that we learned in Culinary during this recipe such as moist, combination and drying cooking techniques. I also learned in Culinary that food gives off an aroma and the aroma is one of the things that makes meals so appetizing to eat. Another thing that makes meals look appetizing are garnishes which can be herb. Lastly, I learned the differences between spices and herbs and how they help enhanced food and changes its color. In our lab, we used spices such as salt and pepper and herbs such as parsley to enhance the flavor of the food.  I will use what I learned outside of school because now I know how to cook food correctly and safely and I know how to compliment dishes.