Chicken piccata is a classic Italian recipe consisting of pan-seared chicken breast with an incredibly tasty lemon butter caper sauce.
This simple Chicken Piccata recipe is perfect as a weekly dinner and in just a few minutes will make you feel like you’re dining in an Italian restaurant.
There are many versions of Chicken Piccata, in this recipe, after many attempts, I tried to create the right balance between the acidity of the lemon, the salinity of the capers and the white wine to obtain a creamy and tasty but not too acidic sauce, I also used a smaller amount of butter than most existing recipes.
In just a few steps you can create this delicious Italian dish, a perfect recipe for both beginners and experienced cooks.
How to make Chicken Piccata? The ingredients for Chicken Piccata include chicken breast, flour, salt, pepper, capers, lemon juice, olive oil, butter, and white wine.
First you need to dredge the chicken cutlets in flour, then saute the floured chicken in a large skillet. Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a serving dish. Put the wine, lemon juice and capers in the same pan to create the piccata sauce. After a minute dip each side of the chicken into the sauce and return the chicken to the serving plate.
Plus if you’re lucky to have leftovers the next day they reheat really well!
If you love chicken recipes try it too
Ingredients
for chicken
for the sauce
- Power 418,16 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 22,79 (g) of which sugars 0,50 (g)
- Proteins 29,30 (g)
- Fat 22,95 (g) of which saturated 6,71 (g)of which unsaturated 3,22 (g)
- Fibers 4,12 (g)
- Sodium 641,77 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Tools
Steps
STEP 1
Cut chicken breast into 3 pieces, then pound until 0.2 inch thick. If you use chicken fillets it is not necessary to cut just pound each piece. Put flour in a dish together with salt and pepper and mix. Dip each piece of chicken, press into flour to stick, shake off excess.
STEP 2
Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 2 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet until butter is melted. Sauté chicken and cook until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes per side). Once cooked remove from pan.
STEP 3
In a clean frying pan, place 2 tablespoons of butter and melt but do not become foamy. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half (about 1 minute). Put lemon juice in the pan and simmer 1 minute, the sauce should become translucent and slightly thickened. To finish the sauce, add capers and parsley. Put the chicken breasts back in the pan with the sauce for a few seconds to add flavour. Turn off the stove and serve Pollo Piccata garnished with fresh chopped parsley.
NOTE
CHICKEN You can buy whole chicken breasts (3 chicken breasts will make 6 cutlets) or pre-cut chicken cutlets. Cook the chicken for 2-4 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the chicken. Use thermometer to check doneness: cooked chicken should reach 165 C. Try substituting chicken breast for veal cutlets.
FLOUR The step of dredging the chicken in flour makes the chicken breast juicy, seals in the juices and forms a delicious crust.
BUTTER and OIL: The butter adds flavor to the chicken and creates a creamy sauce, the oil prevents the chicken from sticking to the pan.
WINE Use dry white wine such as Pinot Gris or Chardonnay. You can omit the white wine altogether and make the chicken with lemon, or avoid the use of alcohol by replacing all or half of the wine with chicken broth.
LEMON JUICE Use only freshly squeezed lemon juice
CAPERS add flavor and saltiness to the recipe and offset the sour taste of the lemon. You can not add capers if you don’t like them or replace them with olives.
GARLIC Some recipes add garlic. You can add it when preparing the sauce.
STORAGE
Chicken Piccata can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for a maximum of 2 days. Leftovers reheat very well in the microwave or on the stove.
To freeze, place in a refrigerated container and store for up to 1 month. When you want to consume defrost the chicken in the refrigerator then place in the microwave or oven at 350°F for 15 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Chicken Piccata?
Chicken piccata is a pan-fried chicken dish cooked on the stove. The chicken is dredged of flour and fried. Then a lemon-caper piccata sauce is made in the same pan and then drizzled over the chicken to serve.
What to serve with chicken piccata
In Italy, chicken piccata is served with a side dish of roasted vegetables, salad or creamy mashed potatoes, while in the United States it is classically served with spaghetti. Just cook the pasta, drain it and then mix it in the pan with the flavors of the Chicken sauce, rice works too or crispy garlic bread.
Varied doses for servings