Chicken Piccata
Golden pan-fried chicken cutlets finished in a silky lemon butter sauce with capers, all in one skillet. It is ready in about 30 minutes and tastes like a restaurant dinner.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 4 chicken cutlets about 1 ½ pounds
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil more as needed
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup capers drained
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
Instructions
- Place the flour in a flat-bottomed dish with high sides, like a pie plate. Pat the chicken cutlets dry, season both sides with salt and pepper, then dredge through the flour and shake off any excess.
- Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until deep golden, about 4 to 5 minutes per side, without moving it around. Work in batches if needed so the pieces are not touching. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
- Make the sauce. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in the same skillet, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom. Whisk in the flour until smooth and cook until light golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually stir in the chicken broth and simmer until thickened. Stir in the lemon juice and capers.
- Taste and add salt and pepper as needed, then return the chicken to the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Cutlets: If you cannot find chicken cutlets, slice boneless skinless breasts in half horizontally and pound to about ¼ inch thick.
- Pat the chicken dry before dredging. Damp chicken will not brown properly.
- Shake off all excess flour. Loose flour clumps in the pan and makes the sauce gummy.
- Do not crowd the skillet. Cook in batches so the chicken sears instead of steams.
- Salt at the end. Capers and broth are both salty, so taste the sauce before adjusting.
- No capers? Substitute an equal amount of chopped green olives, or leave them out and add an extra squeeze of lemon.
- White wine option: Replace ¼ cup of the chicken broth with a dry white wine and reduce it before adding the rest.
- For crisper chicken, skip returning it to the pan and spoon the sauce over at the plate instead.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet over low heat with a splash of broth. Avoid the microwave, which separates the sauce.
- Serving: Best over angel hair pasta or mashed potatoes.
Nutrition
Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 842mg | Potassium: 741mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 672IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 3mg
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