Description
Chicken Piccata delivers a zesty lemon-butter sauce that dances perfectly over tender chicken cutlets. Crispy, golden-edged chicken meets tangy capers in this classic Italian-American dish that comes together faster than your weeknight dinner stress.
Ingredients
Scale
Proteins:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Dry Ingredients:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Salt
- Pepper
Liquids and Seasonings:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons capers
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
- Tenderize 2 chicken breasts to ¼-inch thickness using a meat mallet, ensuring uniform texture and even cooking.
- Generously sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper across both sides of the chicken breasts.
- Pour ½ cup all-purpose flour onto a flat plate and thoroughly coat each chicken breast, patting to remove excess flour.
- Warm ¼ cup olive oil and ¼ cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat (375°F) until butter becomes foamy.
- Carefully place floured chicken breasts into hot skillet, cooking for 4 minutes until bottom turns golden brown.
- Flip chicken and cook opposite side for 3-4 minutes, ensuring internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Transfer chicken to a clean plate and keep warm under aluminum foil.
- Deglaze skillet with ½ cup chicken broth and ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, scraping browned bits from pan bottom.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons capers and simmer sauce for 2 minutes until slightly reduced.
- Return chicken to skillet, coating with sauce for 1 minute to reheat and blend flavors.
- Plate chicken and drizzle remaining pan sauce over top, then garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
- Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound chicken breasts to an even 1/4-inch thickness for tender, consistent cooking.
- Pat chicken completely dry before seasoning and dredging to help flour adhere and create a crispy golden crust.
- Choose a stainless steel or cast-iron skillet for the best fond (browned bits) that adds incredible flavor to the pan sauce.
- For a gluten-free version, swap all-purpose flour with almond flour or cornstarch, which will still create a lovely golden exterior.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Sautéed
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
- Calories: 685 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 580 mg
- Fat: 44 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 26 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 140 mg