Chicken Piccata
intro
Tender pan-seared chicken cutlets in a bright, tangy lemon-caper butter sauce, a classic Italian-American dish that feels elegant but comes together fast.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep chicken cutlets
Place each chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or heavy rolling pin to pound chicken to a uniform 6mm (1/4-inch) thickness. Season both sides evenly with 2.25 grams (3/4 teaspoon) of the kosher salt and all of the black pepper. Dredge each cutlet lightly in all-purpose flour, shaking off all excess to leave a thin, even coating, then set coated cutlets on a clean plate.
Sear chicken cutlets
Heat 30 grams (2 tablespoons) of unsalted butter and all 30ml of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat (pan surface ~190C / 375F). Once butter stops foaming, add 2 cutlets to the pan, taking care not to crowd the cooking surface. Cook 2.5 minutes per side, until deep golden brown on both sides and reaching an internal temperature of 74C / 165F. Transfer seared cutlets to a clean plate, tent loosely with aluminum foil, then repeat the cooking process with the remaining 2 cutlets.
Sauté pan aromatics
After removing all chicken from the skillet, reduce heat to medium (pan surface ~175C / 350F). Add minced garlic to the remaining pan drippings, and sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until fragrant and pale golden. Do not let the garlic turn dark brown, as this will make the finished sauce taste bitter.
Deglaze pan for sauce
Pour 120ml of dry white wine into the hot skillet, scraping up all browned fond bits from the pan bottom with a wooden spoon as the liquid bubbles. Simmer wine for 2 minutes, until reduced by half. Add 180ml chicken broth and 60ml fresh lemon juice, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook 3 more minutes to reduce the liquid by roughly one quarter.
Finish piccata sauce
Stir in the remaining 30 grams (2 tablespoons) of unsalted butter 1 tablespoon at a time, swirling the pan gently to emulsify the butter into a smooth, silky sauce. Add drained, rinsed capers and the remaining 0.75 grams (1/4 teaspoon) of kosher salt, stirring to combine. Nestle all seared chicken cutlets back into the skillet, spoon sauce over the top of each, and simmer 1 minute to warm chicken through.
Garnish and serve
Turn off the stovetop heat, sprinkle chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley evenly over the chicken and sauce. Serve immediately, spooning extra sauce over each cutlet, paired with angel hair pasta, crusty bread, or roasted spring asparagus as desired.
Tips
2.Shake off all excess flour from cutlets before searing; too much residual flour will create a gummy coating and turn the sauce thick and pasty instead of light and silky.
3.For a non-alcoholic version, replace the dry white wine with equal parts low-sodium chicken broth plus 1 tablespoon extra lemon juice to maintain the sauce’s bright, tangy balance.
OMG this was a total weeknight game changer! I was scrambling to get dinner on the table between soccer practice and homework help, and this came together in literally 25 minutes just like the recipe says. My kids usually complain about anything with lemon, but they cleaned their plates and asked for seconds! Even my picky 7 year old. Served it with roasted broccoli and angel hair pasta, chef’s kiss.
Wow, this is way easier than the chicken piccata recipe I’ve been using for years! I made a big batch on Sunday for meal prep, portioned it out with quinoa and roasted asparagus, and it held up perfectly all week for lunches. The capers add such a perfect briny kick, no sad desk lunch here! Only thing I did differently was use chicken tenderloins instead of pounding breasts, saved even more time.
Came across this looking for something different to make for my wife’s birthday dinner instead of my usual steak. She’s been craving Italian lately and this absolutely hit the spot! She said it was better than the version we get at our local fancy Italian restaurant. The sauce is so bright and buttery, I will 100% be making this again. SO good.
First time ever making chicken piccata and I didn’t mess it up! I’m a total beginner cook living in my first apartment, and this was so straightforward I didn’t even have to call my mom for help. Only issue I had was I didn’t have white wine, so I used chicken broth instead and it still turned out amazing. 10/10, making this for my roommates next weekend.
So happy I found this! I have celiac so I swapped the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free flour blend, and it worked perfectly. The crust got nice and crispy, the sauce didn’t get gummy at all. Brought this to my neighborhood potluck last week and everyone was asking for the recipe, even people who don’t eat gluten free!
Made this for date night last night and my boyfriend literally thought I spent hours in the kitchen. Little does he know it only took 25 minutes total! We had it with a side of garlic bread and a crisp white wine, it felt like a fancy restaurant meal but half the cost and no reservation needed. The lemon butter sauce is to die for.
I’ve been making chicken piccata for over 40 years, and I have to say this recipe is right up there with my old family version! I loved how simple the ingredient list was, no fancy hard-to-find stuff. I did add a little extra parsley at the end like I always do, and it was perfect. My grandkids gobbled it right up. Only reason it’s not 5 stars is I think it needs a touch more salt for my taste, but that’s an easy fix!
The capers in this??? *Chef’s kiss* I am obsessed with briny, salty flavors so I went a little heavy on the capers (probably doubled them, no regrets) and it was perfect. Cooked the chicken in a mix of olive oil and butter like the recipe said, got that perfect golden crust. Served over mashed cauliflower to keep it lower carb, and it was such a satisfying dinner.
Tried this last night after seeing it pop up on my feed, and honestly? It’s solid. The cook time is accurate, the steps are easy to follow, the flavor is bright and balanced. I added a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce for a little heat, which was a nice upgrade. Only knock is I wish the sauce made a little more, I had to stretch it with extra broth for two big servings, but otherwise great. Will be adding this to the regular weeknight rotation for sure.
I was a line cook for 15 years, and let me tell you, this recipe nails the classic piccata ratios. A lot of home recipes skimp on the lemon or overdo the butter, but this is perfectly balanced. I taught my teen granddaughter to make this last weekend, and she picked up the steps no problem thanks to how clear the instructions are. Great work on this one.
Wait, why did I think chicken piccata was hard to make?? This was so simple, I even pounded the chicken thin with a rolling pin because I don’t have a meat mallet, no fancy equipment needed. The only mess up I made was I burned the first batch of chicken a little because my stove runs hot, but the second batch was perfect. Tasted just like the takeout I get from the little Italian place down the street, for a fraction of the price.
Made this for our weekly Sunday family dinner, and there were zero leftovers! That’s the highest bar for a recipe in my house, between my husband, three teens, and my elderly mom, everyone has different tastes and somehow this pleased every single person. The sauce is bright, the chicken is tender, it’s not too heavy. We had it with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted green beans, 10/10.
This is so good! I added a tablespoon of caper brine and a little extra lemon zest to the sauce to really amp up the flavor, and it was *chef’s kiss*. I was worried it would be too bland because the ingredient list is so short, but nope, every bite is packed with flavor. Cook time was exactly 25 minutes even with me stopping to take videos for my TikTok, no joke.
As someone who’s trying to cut back on takeout spending, this recipe is a total win. All the ingredients cost me under $12 total at the grocery store, and it made enough for 4 servings, which works out to $3 a meal. Way cheaper than the $18 chicken piccata entree at the restaurant near my office, and it tastes just as good if not better. Will be making this at least twice a month now.
Wait a second — has anyone tried making this in the air fryer? I hate pan frying because it makes my whole kitchen smell like oil for days, but I love chicken piccata so I was super excited to find this easy recipe. The stovetop version looks amazing, I’m just wondering if I can adapt it for my air fryer to cut down on mess.