Chicken Piccata is one of my very favorite things to order from an Italian restaurant. Piccata actually refers to a method of cooking where something is sauteed in a sauce of butter, lemon juice and capers. In Italy, veal and fish are most often cooked in the piccata style, but chicken seems to be the popular choice in the United States. Whatever you choose, this dish is delicious and the impressive way it looks on a plate belies how simple it actually is to make.
CHICKEN PICCATA
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- salt and pepper, to taste
- all purpose flour, for dredging
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup dry white wine (I like Sauvignon Blanc)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 Tbsp. capers, drained (or rinsed well if using capers cured in salt)
- 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, optional
- Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally.
- Place chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4-inch thickness.
- Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper to taste.
- Dredge chicken in flour until well-coated, shaking off excess flour.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter together over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken breasts and cook until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
- Transfer cooked chicken to a plate.
- In the same pan where you browned the chicken, add lemon juice, wine, and broth, and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in capers, then return the chicken to the pan, including any juices that might have leaked out onto the plate.
- Continue to cook for another 4 or 5 minutes till the sauce reduces and thickens a little bit.
- Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired.
NOTE: Instead of half white wine and half chicken broth, you can make the sauce with just chicken broth or just wine. But don’t leave out the lemon juice. It’s a must!
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