Easy Chicken Piccata
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There is a time and a place for a boneless, skinless chicken breast and this is the time. In this Italian-American recipe the chicken breasts are halved and pounded extremely thin and lightly coated in flour so they can be quickly pan fried, then topped with an easy and buttery lemon caper pan sauce.
This recipe comes together quickly for an easy weeknight dinner with few ingredients. I’ve provided suggestions below for serving over rice, pasta or polenta to soak up the buttery sauce. For more chicken breast recipes you can check out some of my favorites here.
Easy Chicken Piccata
Table of contents
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Chicken – Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts to make chicken cutlets. The chicken is butterflied to thin it out. It’s then pounded out using a mallet so the chicken cooks quickly when it’s shallow fried in oil in the pan.
- Flour – Rather than a breadcrumb coating, dredge the chicken in a bit of seasoned flour to add a golden brown exterior. The flour also helps to thicken the butter sauce.
- Olive oil – I quickly cook the pounded pieces of chicken breast in olive oil until cooked through. Because it doesn’t have a high smoke point, the chicken is cooked at a medium heat. You want the oil hot, but not smoking, before adding the chicken to the pan.
- White wine – Adding the wine will remove any flavorful brown bits from the bottom of the pan. It’s reduced by half so the flavor remains.
- Capers – Capers have a tangy, salty flavor. The edible part of the caper plant is the immature flower buds, which are typically served pickled. In this case I recommend using nonpareils, the smallest capers, packed in oil or water for the best flavor.
- Lemon – The lemon adds just the right amount of acid to brighten the rich butter and caper pan sauce.
- Butter – Rather than frying the chicken in the butter like some recipes, I prefer to fry the chicken in the oil then finish the sauce with the butter, swirling in one piece at a time to emulsify the sauce.
How to Make Chicken Piccata
Step 1: Pound out chicken.
Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise and place each piece of chicken into a large plastic zip-top bag or between two pieces of parchment paper. Use a mallet to gently pound them so they are even and about ½” (12.7mm) thick. Be careful that the meat does not break.
Step 2: Dredge chicken in flour.
Add the flour to a shallow bowl. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess.
Step 3: Cook chicken.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat through. Working in batches, add the chicken to the pan and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until cooked through, about an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken.
Step 4: Sauté shallots and garlic.
Return pan to medium heat, add the shallots and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about an additional 30 seconds.
Step 5: Deglaze pan and emulsify butter.
Add the wine and reduce by about half, about 5 minutes. Add the capers and lemon juice, then add the butter, 1 tablespoon (14g) at a time, swirling the pan to help emulsify the sauce, continuing to add the butter. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon. Stir in half the parsley.
Step 6: Return chicken to pan.
Return the chicken to the pan, turning each piece to coat it in the sauce. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve immediately.
Tips and Tricks for This Recipe
Swaps and substitutions
- Another popular preparation uses pounded veal cutlets in place of the chicken breasts.
- Chicken stock can be used in place of the white wine.
- Chicken cutlets can be used in place of the scaloppine (thinly sliced) chicken.
What to serve with chicken piccata
- Buttered pasta
- Polenta
- Mashed potatoes
- Garlic bread
- Sautéed spinach
- Endive salad
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this easy chicken piccata recipe, give these a try and follow me on Instagram:
Easy Chicken Piccata
Ingredients:
- 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium shallot, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon drained capers
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Instructions:
- Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise and place each piece of chicken into a large plastic zip-top bag or between two pieces of parchment paper. Use a mallet to gently pound them so they are even and about ½” (12.7mm) thick. Be careful that the meat does not break.
- Add the flour to a shallow bowl. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat through. Working in batches, add the chicken to the pan and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until cooked through, about an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Return pan to medium heat, add the shallots and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about an additional 30 seconds.
- Add the wine and reduce by about half, about 5 minutes. Add the capers and lemon juice, then add the butter, 1 tablespoon (14g) at a time, swirling the pan to help emulsify the sauce, continuing to add the butter. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon. Stir in half the parsley.
- Return the chicken to the pan, turning each piece to coat it in the sauce. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve immediately.
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