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Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata is a fast Italian-American pan dinner with thin cutlets that turn golden and stay juicy, then get coated in a bright lemon-butter-caper sauce. The silky sauce glistens and pools around the crispy-edged chicken for an easy weeknight lemon butter chicken finish.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken Piccata
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Halved horizontally to make 8 thin cutlets.
  • 1 Salt and pepper To taste.
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour For dredging.
  • 3 tbsp olive oil For pan-frying.
  • 4 tbsp butter Divided; use 2 tbsp for frying and 2 tbsp cold to finish sauce.
  • 4 garlic Minced (about 4 cloves).
  • 0.5 cup dry white wine For deglazing and simmering.
  • 0.75 cup chicken broth For the pan sauce.
  • 0.25 cup fresh lemon juice About 2 lemons.
  • 3 tbsp capers Drained.
  • 1 lemon Thinly sliced.
  • 1 fresh parsley Chopped, for garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Dredge and fry the chicken
  1. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, then dredge lightly in flour and shake off excess so they’re coated but not pasty.
  2. Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, then cook chicken in batches for 3-4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through.
  3. Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and set aside while you make the sauce.
Make the lemon-butter-caper pan sauce
  1. Add garlic to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant but not browned.
  2. Pour in the white wine and scrape up the browned bits from the pan, then simmer for 2 minutes.
  3. Add chicken broth, lemon juice, capers, and lemon slices, then simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sauce reduces by about a third.
  4. Remove from heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter until the sauce turns glossy.
Finish and serve
  1. Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the sauce over each cutlet so the sauce pools around the fillets.
  2. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve right away.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the sauce glossy by swirling in the final cold butter off the heat, right before returning the chicken to the skillet. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet over medium-low until warmed through (do not boil). Freezing is not recommended because the lemon-caper sauce can separate. For a gluten-free swap, use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for dredging.