Skinless, boneless chicken breasts: You either love ’em or you don’t. For those in the latter camp, this easy chicken piccata recipe is here to convert you. Served over a pile of pasta or next to a crisp iceberg salad (with crusty bread for mopping up the bright, buttery lemon-caper sauce), few weeknight dinners are so delicious and also so easy.
The key to the best chicken piccata is pounding butterflied chicken breasts into even cutlets. If you don’t have a meat mallet, use a small frying pan or rolling pin (on a durable surface!) to gently flatten each halved piece of chicken. For the sauce, use a dry Italian white wine such as Pinot Grigio or Vermentino and have it ready to pour into the pan the minute the garlic turns golden so that nothing burns. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, then swirl in the capers and a few tablespoons of butter to create an emulsion, i.e., turn it into a rich, glossy sauce that clings to the seared cutlets. Garnish with fresh parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
One more thing: After you’ve fallen in love with the lemony chicken piccata sauce (you will, trust us), you’ll be looking for more ways to make and use it. May we recommend skipping the gravy next time you make mashed potatoes? Or draping the silky emulsion over roasted winter vegetables? You’ll be glad you did.
Recipe information
Total Time
25 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
2
½
3
4
⅓
1
4
2
Preparation
Step 1
Slice 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts in half crosswise into 4 cutlets and lightly pound each piece between sheets of plastic wrap until an even thickness (about ½" thick or less). Season lightly with kosher salt. Place ½ cup all-purpose flour in a medium shallow bowl. Working one at a time, dredge cutlets in flour, turning to coat. Knock off excess flour and transfer to a plate.
Step 2
Warm 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding, pan-fry the chicken cutlets, without moving them, until deeply browned underneath, about 2 minutes. Turn over and cook chicken on the other side just until nearly cooked through, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a clean plate.
Step 3
Add 4 garlic cloves, smashed, and remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet and cook, stirring often and reducing heat if needed to keep garlic from scorching, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add ⅓ cup dry white wine and 1 Tbsp. capers, drained and coarsely chopped; cook, swirling pan and scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of skillet, until liquid is almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add ½ cup water, followed by the 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces. Swirl pan vigorously while butter melts to help it form an emulsion with water, about 1 minute.
Step 4
Return chicken to skillet and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice into sauce; taste and season with kosher salt. Transfer chicken and sauce to a platter and top with chopped parsley; serve with lemon wedges.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in February 2018 and ran in our May 2019 issue. Head this way for more of our best recipes for chicken breast →
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