Chicken Piccata
Chicken Piccata is a classic dish, with juicy seasoned chicken cutlets in a white wine, lemon, and caper sauce. It’s easy and quick to cook, yet feels like a luxurious treat.
Chicken breasts are cut in half and pounded thin, then coated with seasoned flour. Because the chicken is thin, it cooks up fast.
Chicken Piccata’s pan sauce is made with crisp, citrusy white wine, chicken stock, butter, lemon, and salty capers. It’s velvety and rich, and keeps the chicken juicy!
Let’s talk about the ingredients for Chicken Piccata
Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken breast is ideal for this dish. When you slice the breasts in half horizontally, you get two cutlets per breast. Pounding them helps to create an even, consistent thickness.
White wine – For this recipe, I recommend a crisp and citrusy white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc. It adds a depth of flavour and richness.
Capers – Capers are the preserved, brined flower buds from the caper bush. Capers usually come in a jar, and are easy to find. They bring a salty tang to any dish! For this recipe, I also used a bit of the brine from the jar.
Lemon – For this recipe you’ll need two lemons; one for the zest and juice, and the other for slicing and garnishing the Chicken Piccata at the end of cooking.
Aromatics – Finely diced shallot and crushed garlic are the aromatics for this dish. By cooking them in the oil and fat left by the chicken, they absorb all that flavour.
Chicken stock – The wine and chicken stock are reduced with the lemon juice to create the velvety sauce. The flour left in the pan from cooking the chicken helps to thicken the sauce slightly.
How to prepare the chicken for Chicken Piccata
- Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally.
- Using a meat mallet, pound the thicker parts of the cutlets to even out the thickness.
- Alternatively, you can use a plastic storage bag and put it over top of the chicken and then use something heavy like a rolling pin, wine bottle, or heavy pot to pound the chicken.
Chicken Piccata
Equipment
- Knife & cutting board
- Meat mallet
- Tongs
- Large skillet
- Whisk
- Zester or grater
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts boneless, skinless, prepared according to directions below
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 2 teaspoons black pepper divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil 30ml
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves grated
- ½ cup white wine eg. a crisp & citrusy Sauvignon Blanc, 125ml
- 1 cup chicken stock 250ml
- 2 tablespoons butter 28g
- 2 lemons Juice & zest from one lemon, Fresh lemon slices from the other
- 1/8 cup capers 30 ml
- ½ teaspoon caper juice from the jar optional
- Fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
Prepare chicken breasts
- Cut chicken breasts by cutting in half horizontally, and then pounding to an even thickness using a meat mallet. See post above for tips on pounding the chicken without a mallet!
- Season chicken with one teaspoon each of salt & pepper on both sides.
- On a large plate, add flour and season with the remaining salt & pepper.
- Dip the chicken cutlets into the flour so they are well coated, shaking off excess clumps. When all four pieces are coated, set aside.
Prepare aromatics
- Finely dice the shallot and grate or crush the garlic cloves.
Cook the chicken
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the chicken, 2 pieces at a time so you don’t crowd the skillet. Cook until golden, about 3-4 minutes, and then flip over to cook the other side. When done, remove to a plate and repeat with the other two pieces.
- In the same skillet, add the shallot and cook until it just starts to become translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the white wine and stir, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. After scraping up as much as you can, add the chicken stock and whisk until smooth.
- Lower the heat to medium low, and simmer until the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Add butter, lemon juice and zest, and capers, and whisk until the sauce becomes velvety – just a few minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the chicken back to the pan. Spoon the pan sauce over the chicken.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices, if using.
Make it a meal
- Enjoy Chicken Piccata with a creamy side dish such as Garlic Mashed Potatoes or a cheesy polenta, grilled asparagus, and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
Notes
Try these other one-pan dinners!