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Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata features thin, golden chicken cutlets in a bright lemon-butter-caper pan sauce that glistens and lightly reduces. This easy chicken piccata recipe brings crisp edges and a silky sauce using wine and broth for a fast Italian-American weeknight dinner.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 610
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken cutlets and dredge
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Halved horizontally to make 8 thin cutlets.
  • salt and pepper To taste.
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour For dredging lightly.
Sauce base
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp butter Divided; 2 tbsp for cooking, 2 tbsp cold 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.
  • fresh parsley Chopped, for garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Prep and dredge
  1. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper and dredge lightly in flour, shaking off the excess.
  2. Lay the dredged cutlets on a plate so they’re ready to cook in batches.
Cook chicken
  1. Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
  2. Cook the chicken in batches for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through, then remove and set aside.
Build the lemon-caper pan sauce
  1. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then pour in the white wine and scrape up the browned bits.
  2. Simmer for 2 minutes to reduce slightly.
  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. Remove from heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter until the sauce looks glossy.
Finish and serve
  1. Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the sauce over each cutlet.
  2. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Notes

For the brightest sauce and best gloss, swirl in the remaining cold butter off the heat so it emulsifies smoothly. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of broth. Freezing is not recommended because lemon and butter can separate after thawing. Dietary swap: use gluten-free all-purpose flour for the dredge to keep the cutlets crisp.