Chicken Piccata Easy Recipe

Made with butter, lemon juice, white wine, and capers, the flavor is just to die for! You’ll never go wrong with classic chicken dishes. Loved by kids and adults alike, this Italian-inspired recipe is just perfect. It’s one of my go-to recipes on a busy weeknight. Even if I have a billion other things to do, I make time for this! Done in as little as 20 minutes, this recipe is such a breeze, I can easily squeeze it into my hectic schedule. Give your weekly menu a rustic Italian flair with this scrumptious chicken piccata.

Chicken Piccata

Fried chicken cutlets with capers and a lemon butter sauce spiked with white wine – that’s what you can expect from a plate of chicken piccata. The chicken is good, but the sauce is sublime. There’s something truly special about the combination of butter, lemon juice, and white wine! Let us also not forget about the capers, which give the dish a nice crunch and tangy flavor. Not only is chicken piccata drool-worthy, it’s also very versatile, so even leftovers can be transformed into a completely new dish. I’m talking piccata sandwiches, pasta, risotto, tacos, and a lot more! With an infinite list of leftover ideas, trust me, you’ll want to triple the recipe.

Ingredients

Chicken Breasts –Boneless and skinless work best. Flour – For dredging the chicken, giving it a crunchy crust.Butter – To make that thick, velvety sauce.Olive oil – For frying the chicken. It’s rich in omega-3 and omega-6, so it’s good for you!Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed, to bring out the flavors.White wine – Apart from flavor, it keeps the chicken moist and tender. Don’t worry, the alcohol content evaporates while cooking, so the piccata is 100% safe for kids.Capers – To add tanginess and a burst of lemony flavor.

Tips for the Best Chicken Piccata

Get the sharpest knife you have and slice the chicken cutlets horizontally. Be sure they are thin enough to get a perfect sear on both sides, but don’t cut them so thin that they look like paper.Chicken breasts can be dry and dull on their own, so be sure to season them well with salt and pepper. If you’re a dark meat lover, feel free to use chicken thighs as a substitute.Apart from lemons, you can also use orange juice and slices in the sauce. It will add brightness to the dish, and keep the chicken moist.If you’re not a fan of white wine, you can use vegetable or chicken broth instead. It will act as a tenderizer and will keep the chicken moist.Pound the chicken for tender, evenly cooked meat.Do not completely coat the chicken in batter. Remember: you are making piccata, not fried chicken. Lightly dredge the chicken in flour and shake off any excess.Want to get the most out of the lemon even if you don’t have a juicer? Roll it against the counter to pop open the segments. Poke the non-stem end with a chopstick, toothpick, or skewer, and squeeze.Add some toasted flaked almonds for more texture and flavor. Sesame or sunflower seeds make a perfect garnish, too. Apart from the crunch and flavor, both have impressive nutritional value. Be creative with the garnishes. That’s how you’ll make any recipe your own. Suggestion: serve the lemon slices (or whatever citrus you ultimately choose) with the chicken piccata. Not only will the dish be prettier, but it will also be more flavorful.Garnish the piccata with fresh herbs for flavor and presentation. My personal choices are flat-leaved parsley and coriander, but thyme and rosemary are great, too!

What Exactly Is Chicken Piccata?

Chicken piccata is a dish of pan-fried chicken cutlets topped with a butter lemon sauce. It’s, hands-down, one of the easiest but most flavorful chicken dishes you can ever make. Fun fact: while chicken piccata primarily uses Italian cooking techniques, it may not have completely originated in Italy. Rather, it’s more of a fusion of Italian and (probably) American cuisines. The chicken is cooked like a scaloppine, which refers to thin slices of meat coated with flour and fried. Lemon butter sauce is commonly used in Italian cooking as well. What makes it non-Italian, though, is the addition of the capers. No one knows where that idea came from, but I’m not complaining.

What to Serve With Chicken Piccata

Because chicken piccata is such a simple dish, it pairs beautifully with almost anything. Here are some serving ideas:

Pasta – Fettuccine Alfredo, angel hair pasta, buttered noodles – take your pick.Potatoes – Whether mashed potatoes or oven-roasted, you can’t go wrong.Starch – I’m talking rice, dinner rolls, crusty bread, and sweet potato wedges.Vegetables – For a lighter meal, pair your piccata with roasted veggies, sauteed spinach, or steamed asparagus.