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Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata is an Italian-American lemon-butter-caper chicken dinner with golden, crispy-edged thin cutlets and a silky pan sauce. It’s made by pan-searing chicken, simmering a wine-and-broth sauce, then finishing with cold butter for a glossy, pooled sauce.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken Piccata
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Halved horizontally to make 8 thin cutlets
  • 1 salt and pepper To taste
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp butter Divided
  • 2 tbsp butter Divided (remaining butter for finishing)
  • 4 clove garlic Minced
  • 0.5 cup dry white wine
  • 0.75 cup chicken broth
  • 0.25 cup fresh lemon juice About 2 lemons
  • 3 tbsp capers Drained
  • 1 lemon Thinly sliced
  • 1 fresh parsley Chopped, for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Dredge the chicken
  1. Season the thin chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and dredge lightly in all-purpose flour, shaking off excess.
  2. Set the chicken aside while you heat the skillet.
Pan-sear and build the sauce
  1. Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Cook the chicken in batches for 3-4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through, then remove and set aside.
  3. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
  4. Pour in the dry white wine and scrape up the browned bits from the skillet.
  5. Simmer the wine for 2 minutes.
  6. Add the chicken broth, fresh lemon juice, capers, and lemon slices, then simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sauce reduces by about a third.
Finish and serve
  1. Remove the skillet from the heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of cold butter until the sauce looks glossy.
  2. Return the chicken to the skillet, spoon the lemon-caper sauce over the cutlets, and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Notes

For the brightest, most silky sauce, finish by swirling in cold butter off the heat so it emulsifies instead of breaking. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat gently to avoid toughening the chicken. Freezing isn’t recommended for the best sauce texture. For a lighter option, use a light butter substitute (or reduce butter to 1 tablespoon total) while keeping the cold-butter finish step.