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

Piccata (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 1/4 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?

Print This Recipe

Lemon Chicken Piccata

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

Lemon Chicken Piccata is an easy and flavorful dish that is the perfect recipe for a quick weeknight dinner. 

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 311 kcal

Author: Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere

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Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 2 large chicken breast
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ½ c unbleached all-purpose flour

For the Sauce

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 c dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay work well)
• ¼ c lemon juice
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ c capers, drained
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. 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 tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper.
2. Spread the flour on a plate and dredge the chicken breasts in flour, coating the pieces well.
3. 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.)
4. Add the white wine, lemon juice, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp 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.

5. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the capers. Pour the sauce over the chicken and top with fresh parsley.

6. Serve the chicken over your choice of starch (if desired). Buttered pasta, mashed potatoes, polenta, or rice are all wonderful options.

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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!