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Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata is a lemon-butter-caper chicken dinner with thin golden cutlets and a bright pan sauce that glistens and pools around the meat. This easy method uses a quick flour dredge and a wine-broth reduction for a silky finish.
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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
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Halve horizontally to make 8 thin cutlets.
  • 1 Salt and pepper to taste
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour For light dredge.
For cooking
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp butter Divided; use 2 tbsp for sauté and 2 tbsp cold to finish sauce.
  • 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 and sear the chicken
  1. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, then dredge lightly in flour and shake off excess flour.
  2. Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then cook chicken in batches for 3-4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through; remove and set aside.
Make the lemon-butter-caper pan sauce
  1. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then pour in the white wine and scrape up browned bits.
  2. Simmer the wine mixture for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, capers, and lemon slices, then simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sauce reduces by a third.
  4. Turn off the heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter until the sauce is glossy.
Serve
  1. Return the chicken to the skillet, spoon sauce over each cutlet, and garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

Pro tip: Keep the chicken cutlets thin and cook in batches so the skillet stays hot—this helps the edges turn golden instead of steaming. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days; rewarm gently in a skillet over low heat until warmed through. Freezing is not recommended due to texture changes in the sauce. Dietary swap: use gluten-free all-purpose flour in the dredge for a gluten-free version.