Chicken Piccata
Tender chicken cutlets in a luscious lemony sauce. A perfect weeknight dinner! Adapted from Cooking Light
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: One Pan
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves*
- ½ cup plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2½ tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 5 medium garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ cup dry white wine**
- ¾ cup low-salt chicken broth, divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup capers, drained and rinsed
- Optional Garnish:
- 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Lemon slices
Instructions
- Pound or Slice Chicken into Thin Cutlets: If chicken has tenders, pull them out before pounding or slicing the breasts. Tenders are small and tender and don’t need to be pounded. To pound chicken, place each breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap or inside a large plastic baggie; pound with a meat mallet, small heavy skillet, or rolling pin, to ¼-inch thickness. Cut each thin cutlet in half, if you like the idea of 8 small pieces rather than 4 large. Alternatively, you slice the chicken into cutlets instead of pounding it: set each breast half on a flat surface and use a very sharp knife to slice it horizontally through the middle* (see link below for tutorial on slicing and pounding chicken into cutlets)
- Flour the Chicken: Mix 1/2 cup flour with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and spread seasoned flour onto a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour. Shake off excess. Set pieces on a plate as you go.
- Brown the Chicken: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan and sauté 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and just cooked through. If cooking more than 4 cutlets, cook the chicken in two batches, adding a more oil and butter between batches. Transfer chicken to a plate as you go.
- Make the Pan Sauce and Finish the Dish: Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan over medium heat; swirl to coat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add wine; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until liquid almost evaporates, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until reduced by about a third. While the sauce is simmering combine the remaining teaspoon of flour with the remaining 1/4 cup of chicken broth in a small cup and stir until smooth. Whisk the flour mixture to the sauce and cook for 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring frequently. Lower the heat to a simmer; whisk in remaining 1½ tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and ¼ cup capers. Return chicken to the pan. Simmer gently in the sauce for two minutes or until heated through.
- To Serve: Plate chicken. Spoon sauce on top. Garnish with a slice of lemon and a sprinkle of parsley.
Notes
* Here’s a good tutorial on How to pound and cut chicken into cutlets
**The Best White Wine For Cooking: Use a wine that’s dry and crisp such as Dry Vermouth, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. Avoid wines that are rich, sweet or oaky which can alter the flavor of your dish.
[This post first appeared on Panning The Globe in Feb 2016. It was updated in Sept 2019 with added nutritional information, more clarifying details in the written post, added tips for how to make chicken cutlets and how to choose a good cooking wine.]
Nutrition Information: The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and is not a substitute for a the advice of a professional nutritionist.
Keywords: One pan chicken piccata, Chicken with lemon and caper sauce
Find it online: https://www.panningtheglobe.com/chicken-piccata/