Classic chicken piccata
"Piccata is a simple, delicious Italian dish of thinly sliced cutlets served in a tangy, buttery, caper-flecked sauce. Dredging the cutlets (here we use chicken, but you could use veal, white fish, or even seitan) lightly in flour before pan-frying them helps the sauce to gently thicken and coat the cutlets or whatever starch you’re serving it with (think spaghetti, polenta, thick slices of crusty bread, or even rice). If you can’t find pre-sliced chicken cutlets, buy large chicken breasts and butterfly them, then slice in half and lightly pound out into thin cutlets. See our how-to video for more on this method."
Difficulty
Easy 👌Ingredients
Utensils
cutting board, knife, fine grater, citrus press, bowl (small), bowl, frying pan, tongs, plate, cooking spoon
How-To Videos
How to butterfly
How to prepare garlic
How to zest citrus fruits
3 easy ways to juice a lemon
Nutrition per serving
Step 1/4
- 1 cloves garlic
- ½ shallot
- ½ lemon
- cutting board
- knife
- fine grater
- citrus press
- bowl (small)
Peel and thinly slice garlic and shallot. Zest lemon, then cut in half. Juice one half into a small bowl and set aside. Slice the other half into wedges and set aside for serving.
Step 2/4
- 2 chicken cutlets
- salt
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp olive oil (for frying)
- bowl
- frying pan
- tongs
- plate
Season chicken cutlets with salt on both sides. Add flour to a rimmed plate or bowl, then, working one at a time, coat each cutlet in the flour on both sides, gently knocking off the excess. Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken cutlets and fry until golden brown, approx. 2 min, you may need to work in batches, depending on the size of your pan. Flip and fry on the other side until golden and nearly cooked through, approx. 2 min. more. Transfer to a clean plate.
Step 3/4
- 40 ml white wine
- 1½ tbsp capers
- cooking spoon
Reduce heat to medium low, and add a bit more olive oil to the frying pan, if needed. Add the garlic and shallots and stir constantly to prevent garlic from burning. Sauté until shallots are translucent and garlic is just starting to brown, approx. 3 min. Add wine and capers and use your spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Step 4/4
- 50 ml chicken stock
- 2 tbsp butter
- parsley (for serving)
- crusty bread (for serving)
Once the wine is nearly evaporated, add the chicken stock and butter and stir constantly to emulsify the butter into a thick sauce. Add the chicken cutlets back to the pan and simmer gently until the sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through, approx. 2 min. Remove pan from heat, add lemon juice, and season to taste with salt. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of parsley and lemon zest, extra lemon wedges, and crusty bread for mopping up all the sauce. Enjoy!
