Fish-favourers, sea bass in brown butter caper sauce is essentially the same lip-smacking recipe coming to your rescue should you find yourself in the same predicament.
What is chicken piccata?
Although Italian by name, the piccata recipe came to American tables from France by way of Italy. Eaten, but not half as popular as in the US, Italians favour veal, veal scallopini, or fish such as swordfish, for this buttery and briny sauce. All piccata recipes call for meat to be sliced into slender escalopes and tenderised for the ultimate melt-in-the-mouth texture. Next, they are lightly dusted in flour and fried to golden in an unctuous oil and butter blend before being bathed in the knockout classic sauce. The sauce for this easy chicken piccata recipe is a perfect balance of bold flavours; creamy and nutty butter, tart lemon juice, and sea-salty capers all bound together with bone-dry white wine and garlic. It truly is flavour heaven. My restaurant-style reinvention of the traditional veal piccata, made with chicken breast, is a more affordable, more accessible special occasion dish. So, ideal if you’ve forgotten one! I had thought about giving you a direct translation of the Italian word piccata*, but it could ruin your anniversary and I can’t have that on my conscience (but see below). *larded
Serving suggestions
Assuming you’re planning this special occasion meal in advance, make it all the more memorable with a three-course Italian-inspired feast. Starters like grilled asparagus with Romesco sauce and burrata or mushroom crostini are light enough to balance out the buttery main. Sides of warm zucchini salad with Italian vinaigrette or lemon butter green beans (if one lemon and butter dish isn’t enough!) bring the vegetables. And garlic bread, focaccia or homemade pasta for sopping up sauce. Finish with a cool creamy dessert like Eton mess semi freddo or a showstopping blueberry and limoncello trifle to go easy on the digestion. However, if you really are here working last minute to stay out of the doghouse, bust out these super speedy air fryer fries and a garden salad. You’re still saved!
Storage and leftovers
Chicken cutlets in piccata sauce will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can expect sharper flavours for its second appearance. To reheat, transfer the chicken breasts and sauce to an oven-safe dish with a splash of water or chicken stock to cover the bottom. Cover the dish with foil to ensure the chicken stays moist and reheat at 350F/175C for 10-15 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check the centre of the cutlet has reached a food safe temperature of 165F/ 75C.
More chicken recipes to try
Chicken Frostiere Cajun Chicken Alfredo Lemon Butter Chicken Cutlets Best Chicken Marsala
title: “Chicken Piccata” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-03” author: “Pearl Chan”
This easy chicken recipe is the perfect balance of tangy, buttery, and salty. The chicken is also beyond tender and juicy. Trust me, everyone will be reaching for seconds! Try my chicken florentine recipe or chicken cacciatore recipe if you need another tasty weeknight-friendly chicken dinner.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Chicken — try to find chicken breasts that are similar in size, so they cook evenly. Flour — you don’t need any fancy flour. I use all-purpose flour to coat the chicken, giving them a beautiful brown crust when pan-fried. Lemon — I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. Fresh lemon juice has a brighter flavor than bottled lemon juice. White wine — a dry white wine is ideal as it doesn’t add any additional sweetness to the sauce as a sweet, red wine might. It does not need to be expensive wine, but keep in mind that you shouldn’t cook with it if you wouldn’t drink it. Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, or Pinot Blanc will work wonderfully. Capers — capers give the chicken piccata its signature flavor as they are salty with a briny, lemony tang to them.
How to Make Chicken Piccata
Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise, then pound the chicken to flatten out.
Season chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour.
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of butter to a large pan and warm on medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown.
Add the stock, wine, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to the pan, then bring to a boil while stirring to deglaze, reduce to a simmer and add the capers. Allow the sauce to reduce by half while stirring occasionally.
Remove the pan from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Return the chicken to the pan and spoon sauce over the chicken cutlets. You can warm the chicken through on low if needed, then sprinkle with parsley on top of the chicken piccata and serve.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
Slicing the chicken breasts in half and then pounding them ensures that they are thin and will cook through quickly. Thin and even breasts will stay moist as you don’t risk the exterior drying out as the interior cooks through. If you have a smaller skillet, pan fry the chicken in two batches. You want enough room in the pan for the chicken breasts to brown nicely as they’ll steam you pack them too tightly. To get more juice out of a lemon, bring it to room temperature and roll it on the counter under your palm. Doing so will loosen up the juices so you can more easily squeeze the lemon. Don’t skip coating the chicken breasts with flour, it gives the chicken piccata a nice crust that the sauce can cling to. Be careful not to overcook the chicken breasts as they are thin! They’re cooked when the internal temperature is 165F. You can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
How do I store leftovers?
Store leftover chicken piccata with the sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. You can gently reheat on the stove for a few minutes until everything is heated throughout.
Can I use chicken thighs?
If you’d like to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, you can swap them in. You will have to adjust the cooking time depending on the size and thickness of the thighs.
Can I substitute the capers?
If you want to swap out the capers, you can use chopped green olives in their place as they have a similar tangy, salty, and briny flavor to them. Make sure not to use stuffed olives.
What is the difference between chicken marsala and piccata?
Traditionally, chicken marsala is made with a sauce using Marsala wine and includes sliced mushrooms and finished with heavy cream. Chicken piccata uses white wine, lemon juice, and capers.
What does piccata mean?
Piccata describes the process of pounding the meat flat, dredged in flour, seared, and cooked in a lemon-based sauce.
What should I serve with this chicken recipe?
Since this chicken piccata recipe has a flavorful lemony sauce, I like to serve the chicken with some noodles to soak up the sauce. Mashed potatoes or crusty bread are a great option as well. For a lighter side, try my green beans or glazed carrots. Roasted sweet potatoes, potatoes au gratin, broccoli salad, or potato salad are great sides as well. If you’ve tried this Chicken Piccata recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
