Chicken piccata
Classic chicken piccata: thin golden chicken cutlets in a bright lemon, butter and caper pan sauce. One skillet, about 30 minutes.
33% of it needs you at the counter
- Hands-on
- 10 min
- Cooking
- 20 min
- Serves
- 4
- Calories
- 415
- Protein
- 40 g
- Per serving
- $2.54
Why this recipe works
Chicken piccata is an Italian-American restaurant favorite that's simple to make at home: pan-fried chicken cutlets in a tangy sauce of lemon, capers and butter. Serve it over pasta, with mashed potatoes or crusty bread to catch the sauce.
- Thin cutlets dusted lightly in flour brown fast and stay juicy, and the flour left in the pan helps thicken the sauce.
- Reducing the broth and lemon juice by about half before adding the butter concentrates the flavor so the sauce isn't thin and sour.
- Swirling in cold butter off the heat makes the sauce glossy and creamy instead of greasy and separated.
Ingredients
To serve
You will need
- 12-inch stainless or cast-iron skillet
- Shallow dish
- Instant-read thermometer
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done.
Prep the cutlets
Pound the cutlets to an even ⅓ to ½ inch thick. Season with the salt and pepper, then dredge in the flour and shake off the excess.
Brown the chicken
Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the cutlets, in two batches if needed, for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden and 165°F inside. Move to a plate.
Start the sauce
Lower the heat to medium, add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the broth, lemon juice and capers, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer until reduced by about half, 4 to 5 minutes.
Finish with butter
Take the pan off the heat and swirl in the remaining 3 tablespoons of cold butter, one at a time, until the sauce is glossy. Stir in the parsley.
Return the chicken
Return the chicken and any juices to the pan and spoon the sauce over until coated. Serve right away with lemon slices and pasta.
Techniques in this recipe
- Chicken and turkey165°F / 74°C
Source: USDA safe minimum internal temperatures. Measure the thickest part, away from bone. Is it done? Safe temperatures
The internal temperatures that tell you chicken, pork, beef, fish and ground meat are cooked safely, and when to pull them early for juicier results.
Read the full guideCrowded: steams and turns grey Spaced out: browns and crisps Don't crowd the pan
Give food space in the pan or on the sheet pan so moisture can escape. Crowded food steams and turns grey; spaced-out food browns and crisps.
Read the full guideMoved too soon: pale and torn Left alone: brown crust, flavorful bits Sear, then deglaze
Dry the meat, heat the pan, and don't move it until it releases with a deep brown crust. Then loosen the browned bits with liquid; they're pure flavor.
Read the full guide
Cook's notes
- If the sauce looks oily or separates, the pan was too hot when the butter went in. Whisk in a tablespoon of broth off the heat to bring it back.
- Rinse the capers if they're packed in salt, or the sauce will be too salty.
- For extra depth, replace ¼ cup of the broth with dry white wine.
Nutrition per serving
415 calories
$2.54 estimated cost per serving
Where the calories come from
| Protein | 39% of calories | 40 g |
|---|---|---|
| Carbs | 10% of calories | 10 g |
| Fat | 51% of calories | 23 g |
| Fiber | 1 g | |
| Sodium | 590 mg |
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients and amounts; not lab-tested. Cost estimated from average US retail prices.
Questions people ask
What does piccata mean?
In Italian-American cooking, piccata refers to thin meat cutlets served in a lemon, butter and caper sauce. Veal piccata is the original; chicken is now more common.
What goes with chicken piccata?
Angel hair or linguine, mashed potatoes, rice, roasted asparagus or green beans, and crusty bread for the sauce.
Why is my piccata sauce too sour?
The sauce wasn't reduced enough or the butter was skimped. Simmer the broth and lemon until reduced by half and finish with all the butter, which rounds out the acidity.
