Delicious Homemade Chicken Piccata
Chicken Piccata is a quick, elegant pan-seared chicken dish finished in a buttery lemon and caper sauce that comes together in under 30 minutes with just a few pantry staples.
Total
45 minServings
4Chicken Piccata is a quick, elegant pan-seared chicken dish finished in a buttery lemon and caper sauce that comes together in under 30 minutes with just a few pantry staples.
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Prepare the lemon, parsley, and garlic so they’re ready to go when you need them. Roughly chop the parsley leaves, juice the lemon, and mince the garlic. Set these ingredients aside.
Trim the chicken breasts of excess fat. Cover them with plastic wrap and pound them with a mallet or rolling pin until they are an even thickness (about 1/2-3/4 inch thick). Cut each chicken breast in half so that you have four to six pieces about the size of the palm of your hand. Season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet, over medium heat. While the oil is heating, place the flour in a bowl and lightly coat each piece of chicken on both sides. When the oil is very hot but not smoking, add the chicken pieces to the skillet and cook until golden brown on each side (about 3-5 minutes on each side). Cook the chicken in batches, if needed, to prevent them from overcrowding the skillet. Transfer the browned chicken on a clean plate.
After removing the chicken from the skillet, turn the heat down to medium-low and add the butter and minced garlic. Sauté the garlic in the butter for about one minute. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice to the skillet and whisk to dissolve (or “deglaze”) the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan.
Add the capers and half of the chopped parsley to the skillet. Increase the heat to medium, add the chicken back to the skillet, and spoon the sauce over top. Allow the chicken to simmer in the sauce for 3-5 minutes, without a lid, or until the sauce reduces by half. The flour on the chicken will help thicken the sauce as it simmers. Sprinkle the remaining parsley over top just before serving.
Store cooled chicken piccata in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat gently over medium-low heat on the stovetop for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meat mallet or rolling pin · Heavy skillet
Yes. Sear and sauce the chicken up to 2 days ahead; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat gently over medium-low heat on the stovetop, stirring occasionally, until warmed through (about 5–7 minutes).
Place breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin using even, firm strokes until they reach 1/2–3/4 inch thickness. This ensures they cook at the same rate.
The flour coating on the chicken does most of the thickening. Make sure you don't skip the flouring step and allow the sauce to simmer uncovered for 3–5 minutes until it reduces by half.
Yes. Use brined green olives, drained anchovies, or diced sun-dried tomatoes in equal amounts for a different but equally tangy and savory sauce.
Cook 3–5 minutes per side until golden brown, then simmer in sauce for 3–5 minutes. Chicken is done when it reaches 165°F internally or shows no pink when cut at the thickest part.
