A better Chicken Piccata Recipe

Chicken Piccata is a fast dinner comprised of a crispy pan seared chicken breast with a Lemon Butter Caper Sauce. This chicken has a brilliant, lemony sauce that’s simply on the proper aspect of tangy. It’s extremely straightforward and amazingly tasty!

I realise it sounds completely obnoxious to name this a “higher” Chicken Piccata. I ought to make clear and say that this can be a higher one to me. This dish is a wildly well-liked Italian-American basic that I’ve tried making through the years following different recipes. I’ve simply by no means been impressed with the outcomes although, leaving me feeling that I’m in some way lacking out on the enjoyment of this dish. I all the time discovered the lemon sauce mouth-puckeringly bitter to the purpose of wincing. I additionally felt it simply didn’t have sufficient fascinating flavour in it to hold a considerably bland chicken.

So many recipes additionally known as for an insane quantity of butter and oil. Generally as much as half a cup! What the … ??

My butt can’t afford that a lot fats for what’s alleged to a fast, midweek meal!

So that is my model of Chicken Piccata. The sauce shouldn’t be as bitter – I dial it in to only the correct quantity of lemon tang. I take advantage of much less fats than most recipes too, and scale back the white wine by way of cooking so as to add complexity within the sauce. And as for the chicken? Add a dusting of parmesan. It makes it a lot tastier!

So right here’s what you want:

• Chicken breast – 2 breasts will serve 3 to 4 individuals as soon as we minimize every bit into 3 and pound into skinny steaks. You could possibly additionally use thigh fillets (skinless boneless) or tenderloins;

• Lemon – You want a contemporary lemon right here. Sort of defeats the aim in the event you attempt to make this with bottled lemon juice!

• White wine – Use any dry white wine that’s not too woody, too candy or fruity. Chardonnay is especially nice as a result of it provides quantity of flavour.

  The wine doesn’t make the sauce style winey in any respect as a result of we scale back it proper all the way down to cook dinner the alcohol out and simply depart behind the concentrated flavour that provides depth to the sauce.

  Don’t use an costly wine. The flavour and aroma that you simply pay for is essentially misplaced throughout cooking. It’s fairly effectively documented today by notable meals authorities (comparable to New York Instances Cooking) that you do not want to make use of costly wines for cooking.

  Substitution: Should you can’t eat alcohol, use low sodium chicken inventory/broth;

• Capers – Use capers in brine, drained. The capers in salt (ie no liquid) are just a little too salty to make use of right here;

• Butter – For cooking and in addition for the sauce;

• Olive oil – For cooking the chicken; and

• Flour & parmesan – For dusting the chicken. Don’t skip this. It offers the chicken a crust that the sauce clings to. With out it, the sauce simply slips off the chicken. (PS The extra of parmesan here’s a trick that makes this Chicken Piccata a standout!).

Chicken Piccata is a straight ahead, fairly fast recipe:

• Pound chicken so that they cook dinner evenly;

• Mud with flour > pan sear till golden; and

• Make sauce in identical pan (takes 3 perhaps 4 minutes).

1. Minimize and pound chicken – Minimize every chicken breast into 3 items. Then pound every bit till it’s 1/2cm / 0.2″ thick. I take advantage of a meat mallet and place the chicken between baking/parchment paper, cling wrap or what is named “Go-Between” which is a freezer movie used to maintain meals from sticking collectively within the freezer. It’s principally like freezer luggage in roll kind.

   If utilizing tenderloin, there isn’t a want to chop, simply pound every bit. If utilizing thigh fillets, halve then pound;

2. Mud chicken – Drizzle chicken with oil, then coat with the flour and parmesan. Press the chicken into the combination to make it stick. Shake off extra effectively.

   See remark underneath the Substances above for why a flour-parmesan coating is important right here!

3. Pan fry chicken in butter and oil till golden, quantity 3 minutes. Flip, then cook dinner the opposite aspect for 1 minute till golden (I do know that sounds odd, 3 minutes then 1 minute, however the 2nd aspect actually does cook dinner a lot sooner than the first aspect!). As soon as cooked, take away from the pan;

4. Clear skillet – The skillet shall be a bit soiled which can tarnish what is meant to be a clear, clear sauce. So earlier than we proceed, it’s greatest to scrub the skillet. Pour out the surplus fats from the pan, then give it a fast wipe with a paper towel. No must be meticulous right here;

5. Cut back wine – To make the sauce, add the white wine and simmer quickly to scale back by half. On this step, the alcohol will cook dinner out so that you received’t have any boozy flavour within the sauce. Then add lemon and produce to a simmer;

6. Swirl in butter – Flip down warmth to low, then add cubes of butter and swirl it to make it soften. This makes the butter emulsify with the wine and lemon juice to kind a shiny, clear, barely thickened sauce. The sauce wouldn’t thicken as effectively and it might cut up in the event you let the butter bubble and soften over excessive warmth;

7. Capers & parsley – To complete the sauce, add in capers and parsley; and

8. Serve! Then serve the chicken items with the Lemon Butter Sauce. You’ll discover that there’s not a ton of sauce. You don’t want hundreds, the sauce has sufficient flavour. From a sensible perspective, the flour-parmesan crust of the chicken will get soaked with the sauce, and that’s all you want actually, to take pleasure in this dish. (And common readers know I’m a Sauce Lady!).

Serve this together with your starchy aspect of selection and a aspect salad to get some greens in your plate. Select from:

• Rice aspect dishes

• Potato sides

• Vegetable / salad sides

Some recommendations for you:

Magic Broccoli

Baked Mac and Cheese

Fast & Simple Baked Zucchini

Creamy Buttery Mashed Potato

Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

Spring Salad!

Roasted Cauliflower

Lentil and Roasted Eggplant Salad

Take pleasure in! – Johnsat x

A better Chicken Piccata Recipe

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Serves: 3 Prep Time: 10 minutes

Nutrition facts: 358 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 450g / 16oz chicken breast (2 large pieces), skinless boneless (Note 1)
• 4 tbsp flour (sub cornflour/cornstarch for GF)
• 2 1/2 tbsp parmesan , finely grated (Note 2)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp / 15g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp / 30g unsalted butter , cut into 1.5cm / 1/2″ cubes
• 2/3 cup dry white wine (Note 3)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice , fresh
• 3 tbsp capers in brine , drained (Note 4)
• 1 1/2 tsp parsley , finely chopped, plus more for garnish

Instructions

1. Cut each breast into 3 pieces. Then place between 2 pieces of cling wrap or paper and pound to 1/2 cm / 0.2″ thickness.
2. Drizzle chicken with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and spread with your fingers on both sides.
3. Mix flour, parmesan, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Coat chicken, pressing to adhere, then shaking off excess.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Then add butter and let it melt.
5. Place 3 pieces of chicken in the skillet. Cook 3 – 4 minutes until golden, then turn and cook the other side for 1 minute. Remove onto plate, repeat with remaining chicken.
6. Pour out and discard excess fat in skillet, then give it a quick wipe with paper towels (no need to clean thoroughly).
7. Still on medium high heat, add wine. Let it simmer rapidly until it reduces by half – around 3 minutes.
8. Add lemon and simmer 1 minute.
9. Reduce heat to low. Add cubed butter and swirl pan to make it melt but not go foamy. Sauce should be glossy, translucent and slightly thickened.
10. Stir in capers and parsley. Serve chicken with Sauce, sprinkled with extra parsley if desired!

Notes

Servings – If you use 2 large breasts (450g/16oz), you will serve 3 comfortable. If you use 2 smaller ones, this will serve 2 people.
1. Chicken – can also use tenderloin (no need to cut) or thighs (skinless, boneless, cut in half then pound).
2. Parmesan – or use store bought sandy type grated parmesan.
3. Wine – Any white wine that’s not too woody or sweet will work great here. Chardonnay in particular adds really good flavour. Sub low sodium chicken stock/broth for a non alcoholic version.
Don’t use an expensive wine. The flavour and aroma that you pay for is largely lost during cooking. It’s pretty well documented these days by notable food authorities (such as New York Times Cooking) that you do not need to use expensive wines for cooking.
4. Capers – best to use capers in brine, rather than the dry capers in salt (bit too salty for this dish).
5. Nutrition – assumes 2 tbsp fat is discarded after cooking chicken and 1.5 tbsp flour / parmesan is discarded after coating.

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Sarah Miller

Hi, I’m Sarah Millar!
I’m a food blogger who loves creating quick and easy recipes that bring big flavor without the fuss. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated — and I’m here to share simple, fast food ideas that anyone can make at home. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll usually find me tasting new dishes, exploring cafés, or coming up with fresh food hacks to make everyday meals more fun.

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