Description
Chicken piccata brings together tender chicken breasts with bright lemon and briny capers in a simple pan sauce that comes together in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for those nights when you need dinner on the table fast. The thin-pounded chicken cooks quickly while you keep the sauce light and tangy, creating something really satisfying that your family will ask for again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein and coating:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Cooking fats:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Sauce and seasonings:
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup capers
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh parsley, chopped as desired
Instructions
- Pat your 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts dry, then season them generously with salt and pepper on both sides before coating each piece evenly in 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, tapping away any excess.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter together in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the butter foams and the oil shimmers.
- Once your pan reaches temperature, lay the chicken breasts in a single layer and let them cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes until the bottoms turn golden brown.
- Flip each breast carefully and cook the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and golden all over, then transfer everything to a plate.
- Pour 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice and 1 cup of chicken broth into the same hot skillet, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all those browned bits stuck to the bottom.
- Stir in 1/4 cup of capers and let the sauce simmer for about 2 minutes so the flavors meld together.
- Nestle your chicken breasts back into the simmering sauce and cook them together for 5 minutes at a gentle simmer, allowing the sauce to coat and flavor the meat.
- Take the chicken out one final time and whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter into the hot sauce over medium heat for about 1 minute until it melts completely and the sauce becomes silky.
- Place each chicken breast on your serving plate, spoon the lemon-caper sauce generously over top, and finish with a handful of chopped fresh parsley scattered across.
Notes
- Pound your chicken breasts to an even thickness so they cook uniformly and don’t dry out in the center while the edges brown.
- Use fresh lemon juice rather than bottled, as the bright flavor is what makes this dish shine and bottled juice tastes flat by comparison.
- Don’t skip scraping the browned bits from the pan when you add the lemon juice and broth, since those bits dissolve into the sauce and build deeper flavor.
- For a gluten-free version, swap the flour for cornstarch or rice flour, which gives the same light coating without affecting the taste.
- If capers are too salty for your taste, rinse them under cold water before adding them to the sauce.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Sautéed Chicken
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 480 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg