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Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata delivers thin golden chicken cutlets topped with a silky lemon-butter-caper pan sauce that glistens and pools around the meat. This easy chicken piccata recipe builds flavor by deglazing with white wine and simmering until the sauce reduces and turns glossy.
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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: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken cutlets
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Halved horizontally to make 8 thin cutlets.
  • 0.25 tsp salt To taste.
  • 0.25 tsp pepper To taste.
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
Frying and sauce
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp butter Divided.
  • 4 garlic cloves 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
 

Prep and dredge
  1. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, then dredge lightly in the all-purpose flour and shake off the excess so the coating is thin.
Cook the chicken
  1. Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering.
  2. Add the chicken in batches and cook for 3-4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through, using a visual cue of crisp, golden edges before transferring to a plate.
Make the lemon-butter-caper sauce
  1. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring until fragrant and lightly sizzling.
  2. Pour in the dry white wine and scrape up the browned bits from the pan, then simmer for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the chicken broth, fresh lemon juice, capers, and the thinly sliced lemon, then simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sauce reduces by about a third.
  4. Remove the skillet from the heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of cold butter until the sauce looks glossy and smooth.
Finish and serve
  1. Return the chicken to the skillet, spoon the lemon-butter-caper sauce over each cutlet so it pools around the fillets, and garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the flour coating light so you get crispy edges without a thick crust. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of broth. Freezing is not recommended because the lemon-butter sauce can separate. For a lighter option, use half the butter and replace the remaining amount with extra chicken broth while swirling off-heat.