Chicken Piccata

Pan fried chicken in a butter lemon sauce topped with capers

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword chicken, chicken piccata

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 359kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
salt and pepper
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
4 tablespoons butter divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup chicken stock
1 lemon
1 tablespoon capers
¼ cup cream
2 teaspoons fresh parsley optional
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese optional

Instructions

Cut the chicken breasts in half, lengthwise. Season all sides with a little salt and pepper.
On a plate with a lip or a pie pan combine the flour, garlic powder and cayenne. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture, coating all sides.
If you are making pasta or rice with this recipe, go ahead and begin that preparation along with the chicken and sauce.
In a large skillet or sauce pan, heat one tablespoon of the butter and the olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken cutlets for 3-4 minutes, on each side (6-8 minutes total). Use a meat thermometer to check that the interior has reached 160°F. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, cut one of the pieces open to check the chicken is fully cooked and no longer pink. Then remove the chicken to a plate, covering with aluminum foil to keep warm as you make the sauce.
In the same pan, melt the remainder of the butter. Add the fresh lemon juice, lemon zest and chicken broth. Whisk to combine and remove any brown bits from the pan.
Stir in the capers and cream.
You can add the cooked chicken back into the pan and simmer for a few minutes, or you can pour the chicken piccata sauce over the chicken after plating with pasta (or whatever side you are serving this with).
Top with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese if using.

Notes

I serve chicken piccata on fettuccine noodles usually, but any noodle (penne, ziti, spaghetti, or angel hair pasta) you prefer can work just fine. You could also serve this with gnocchi, mashed potatoes or rice if you wanted.

If you can’t find capers, you could substitute sliced up green olives instead.

You can substitute the chicken stock for dry white wine, like Chardonnay, if you like.

My favorite way to plate this is to toss the pasta in the piccata sauce (using tongs), then I plate the pasta, slice the chicken and add it over the top. And lastly, I drizzle or spoon the remaining sauce from the pan over the chicken.

If you have leftovers, the best storage IMO is to store the chicken and sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge and then rewarm each before combining. Otherwise, I think the chicken gets kind of soggy.

Nutrition