Go Back

Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata is a quick Italian-American skillet dinner with thin, golden chicken cutlets and a bright silky lemon-butter-caper pan sauce. The sauce glistens, reduces until lightly thick, then coats the crispy-edged fillets with a pooled finish.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 470
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken piccata
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Halve horizontally to make 8 thin cutlets.
  • salt and pepper To taste.
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour For light dredge.
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp butter Divided; 2 tbsp for cooking and 2 tbsp cold to finish.
  • 4 clove garlic Minced.
  • 0.5 cup dry white wine
  • 0.75 cup chicken broth
  • 0.25 cup fresh lemon juice About 2 lemons.
  • 3 tbsp capers Drained.
  • 1 lemon Thinly sliced.
  • fresh parsley Chopped, for garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Prep and dredge
  1. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, then dredge lightly in all-purpose flour, shaking off the excess. Cutlets should look lightly dusted with no thick coating.
Pan-sear the chicken
  1. Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. The butter should foam lightly as the oil shimmers.
  2. Cook the chicken in batches for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through, then remove and set aside. The edges should be crisp and the center should no longer look raw.
Make the lemon-butter-caper pan sauce
  1. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. It should smell fragrant without browning.
  2. Pour in the dry white wine and scrape up the browned bits from the skillet. The sizzling liquid should pick up the fond.
  3. Simmer for 2 minutes. The wine should reduce slightly and look more glossy.
  4. Add the chicken broth, fresh lemon juice, capers, and thin lemon slices, then simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sauce reduces by a third. The sauce should thicken and taste bright-tangy.
  5. Remove the skillet from the heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter until the sauce is glossy. The finish should look smooth and shiny, not greasy.
Serve
  1. Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the sauce over each cutlet. Each fillet should be coated with visible pooled sauce.
  2. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Finish with a fresh green sprinkle for contrast.

Notes

For the best golden sear, keep the skillet over medium-high and don’t overcrowd the cutlets in batches. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of broth or wine until warm through. Freezing is not recommended because the lemon-butter sauce can break when thawed. For a lighter option, use 2 tablespoons butter total and replace the remainder with olive oil, keeping the cold-butter swirl at the end for gloss.