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Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata features thin, golden chicken cutlets in a bright lemon-butter-caper pan sauce. The sauce glistens and pools around the fillets after a quick reduction and a glossy cold-butter swirl.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken cutlets
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Halved horizontally to make 8 thin cutlets.
  • Salt To taste.
  • pepper To taste.
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour For dredging.
Pan sauce
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp butter Divided (2 tbsp for cooking, 2 tbsp for finishing).
  • 4 garlic Minced (about 4 cloves).
  • 0.5 cup dry white wine
  • 0.75 cup chicken broth
  • 0.25 cup fresh lemon juice About 2 lemons.
  • 3 tbsp capers Drained.
  • 1 lemon Thinly sliced.
  • Fresh parsley, chopped For garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Dredge and cook the chicken
  1. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and dredge lightly in all-purpose flour, shaking off the excess so they’re coated but not clumpy.
  2. Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the butter foams.
  3. Cook the chicken in batches for 3-4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through, then remove and set aside.
Build the lemon-caper pan sauce
  1. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  2. Pour in the dry white wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
  3. Simmer for 2 minutes to reduce slightly and concentrate the flavor.
  4. Add the chicken broth, fresh lemon juice, capers, and lemon slices, then simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sauce reduces by about a third.
  5. Remove the skillet from heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter until the sauce looks glossy and smooth.
Finish and serve
  1. Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the pan sauce over each cutlet so it pools around the edges.
  2. Garnish with fresh parsley to finish.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the sauce on a steady simmer and reduce until it coats the back of a spoon, then finish off-heat with cold butter for a silky gloss. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days; freeze only the sauce (no, freezing the assembled chicken can dull the texture). Dietary swap: use gluten-free all-purpose flour for dredging to make it gluten-free.