21 minutes is all it takes to make this crispy and lemony chicken piccata! I fell in love with this dish so hard that I salivate every time I look at these images! I’ve cut down on butter and used olive oil instead to “healthify” the dish – the result is just as decadent and delicious!
Chicken Piccata
I’m not kidding when I say that I salivate whenever I think about chicken piccata. Why it took me so long to make it is a mystery – maybe it looked too simple or too plain to the naked eye. All I saw were flat pieces of chicken dusted with flour and pan fried until they looked dry. Meh. It’s not until I read the ingredients that my heart began to flutter; butter, lemon juice, capers, white wine and fresh parsley? Sounds like a recipe I could sink my teeth into!
I changed the measurements a bit to make this dish healthier and swapped half of the butter for extra virgin olive oil. How can I describe chicken piccata to a newbie in terms of flavor? Well… It’s super Italian with pops of buttery tartness and pairs beautifully with a dry fizzy wine like a Txacolina or Vinho Verde. Even though the chicken is lightly breaded, it tastes clean to the palate and makes you want to go for more and more. I was also very wrong about the chicken being dry – it’s moist, tender and mmmmmm!
I’ve made chicken piccata several times now and find that it goes best with something mild as a side. Since the lemon and white wine sauce is so bold it’s better to stay away from other aggressive flavors. I noticed that when too many strong flavors collide, it becomes hard to appreciate each dish separately. Your tastebuds are overactive and can no longer tell one flavor from another. This chicken piccata is very acidic so think of pairing it with something creamy like mashed potatoes or lightly seasoned veggies.
You can make chicken piccata ahead of time but I prefer it right out of the pan with its crispy exterior – so yum! It tastes great in a sandwich the next day or chopped up as a salad topping.
Other easy chicken recipes:
Did you like this Chicken Piccata Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share?
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Chicken Piccata
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 2 people 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Pan Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Italian style chicken cutlets lightly breaded and served with a lemon sauce.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half and butterflied
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons capers in brine, drained
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Place flour on a plate or shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Break the egg in a shallow bowl and whisk.
- Dip each chicken breast in egg and flour. Set aside on a plate.
- In a pan over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Add chicken breasts and cook on each side for 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside. - Add remaining butter and oil to the pan and when it sizzles, add lemon juice, wine and chicken stock. Scrape off the bits from the pan (it’s the best part – so tasty!) and add capers. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until sauce thickens a bit.
- Turn the heat off and pour the sauce over the chicken. Top with fresh parsley. Serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 731
- Sugar: 2.2 g
- Sodium: 402.3 mg
- Fat: 47.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 13.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.4 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Protein: 46.6 g
- Cholesterol: 249.4 mg
My family loved this, a great recipe!
I cannot find a way to e-mail this to myself. I was able to send the ingredients page.
I tried copy and paste but it is too much to copy before it cuts out.
Would LOVE to try this Chicken Piccata compared to the one I have been using.
Hi Bonnie! The easiest way to email the recipe is to click on the print button, a new window will open with just the recipe, then take a screenshot of it 🙂
This was delicious! The chicken was tender, the lemony taste and capers were perfect! I added just a smidgen of corn starch w some chicken broth to thicken the sauce a little. Perfect over jasmine rice!
What can I use in place of white wine? We don’t have alcohol in our house.
Hi Robin! You can substitute white wine for white grape juice and a dash of vinegar or lemon juice. For this recipe I’d recommend adding about 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon with 1/4 white grape juice.
Hello, when do I add 1/2 cup of chicken stock? Along with wine and lemon juice? Thanks.