Lemon Chicken Piccata (and How To Butterfly Chicken Breast)
Lemon Chicken Piccata is an easy and flavorful dish that is the perfect recipe for a quick weeknight dinner.
Chicken Piccata
Chicken PiccataPiccata (or Picatta) is a method of preparing meat that involves the meat being sliced thin, dredged (coated in flour), browned, and served in a light, acidic sauce.
In the traditional Italian version, piccata is made using veal cutlets, but in the States, the Italian-American version of the dish using chicken is most well know.
How To Butterfly A Chicken Breast
To get the thin pieces of chicken, the breast is butterflied, or sliced along its width, to cut the thick breast into a thinner top and bottom half. The two halves are generally left connected by not cutting all the way though, creating one, large and thin piece of meat.
Once cut, the meat is unfolded to lay flat and pounded into an even thick-ness (or, rather, thin-ness) of about a ¼ of an inch.
A thin, even, piece of meat means that it will cook quickly and evenly. By the time the chicken is browned nicely on both sides, the chicken breast should be cooked through.
Our Lemon Chicken Piccata Recipe
The traditional sauce for a Piccata dish is made by combining an acid, something salty, and butter for richness. For the most common form of chicken piccata the acid is normally lemon juice and the salty element is typically capers, which are little berries that are pickled in a brine.
These flavors are often balanced out with a little broth or white wine to create a bright and satisfying sauce.
All that flavor paired with the thin, golden chicken breast really makes this feel like quite the elegant meal from a fine dining establishment.
And then, you realize, you're not at an up-scale Italian restaurant.
You're at home... and it's a Wednesday.
Because chicken piccata can be on your table in less than 30 minutes.
How's that for a nice mid-week pick-me-up?
Lemon Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 large chicken breast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ c unbleached all-purpose flour
For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 c dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay work well)
- ¼ c lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ c capers, drained
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Butterfly the chicken breasts by slicing them, width-wise almost all the way through. Un-fold the breasts and pound them to an even thickness of roughly ¼ of an inch. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Spread the flour on a plate and dredge the chicken breasts in flour, coating the pieces well.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet. Once the butter is hot, add the chicken breasts and pan fry over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping once, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a serving dish. (Place the cooked chicken in a warm oven to keep warm while you prepare the sauce.)
- Add the white wine, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to the pan. Scrape up any bits of chicken or flour that have stuck to the pan and simmer the wine mixture until it has reduced by about half, 4-5 minutes.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and add the capers. Pour the sauce over the chicken and top with fresh parsley.
- Serve the chicken over your choice of starch (if desired). Buttered pasta, mashed potatoes, polenta, or rice are all wonderful options.
Nutrition
This is one of the recipes from the early days of Curious Cuisiniere. We've updated our pictures since we first made it, but we've left the original images here as a fun throwback and shout out to how far we've come. Enjoy!
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
I've followed your receipt and made your chicken piccata many times. Excellent. It's a standard at our house. Thanks.
Thank you so much for sharing! We're glad you've been enjoying the recipe!
Made the chicken for my meal prep and I can’t wait to taste it. Easy recipe thanks for posting it.
Hope you enjoyed it!
Great receipe. My wife doesn’t like chicken. I hoped she would like this and she loved it. Couldn’t believe how moist the chicken was. Delicious!
So glad you both enjoyed the piccata!
This recipe delicious. This is the kind of meal my family loves. We'll be having it again soon. I hope you have a great day. Blessings.
Glad you and your family enjoyed the chicken piccata Rose!
Chicken piccata is a favourite at our house, especially on weeknights - so quick and easy. I have found that the chicken is tastier if you cook it until almost done, then return to the pan after the sauce is reduced to simmer for a minute and finish cooking. Yum.
What a great tip! Thanks for sharing!