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Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata is an Italian-American skillet dinner with thin golden chicken cutlets and a bright lemon-butter-caper pan sauce. The sauce simmers until reduced, then turns glossy when you swirl in cold butter for a silky finish that pools around the crispy edges.
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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: 540
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken cutlets
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Halved horizontally to make 8 thin cutlets.
  • 0.25 tsp salt and pepper To taste; season both sides of the cutlets.
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour For light dredging.
Lemon-butter-caper sauce
  • 3 tbsp olive oil For browning the chicken.
  • 4 tbsp butter Divided; 2 tbsp for cooking, 2 tbsp cold at the end.
  • 4 garlic Minced; about 4 cloves.
  • 0.5 cup dry white wine Deglaze and simmer for flavor.
  • 0.75 cup chicken broth Forms the base of the sauce.
  • 0.25 cup fresh lemon juice About 2 lemons.
  • 3 tbsp capers Drained.
  • 1 lemon Thinly sliced.
  • 0.25 fresh parsley Chopped, for garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Dredge and season the chicken
  1. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, then dredge lightly in the all-purpose flour and shake off excess for an even, thin coating.
Brown the cutlets
  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 minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring until fragrant.
  2. Pour in the dry white wine and scrape up the browned bits from the skillet, then simmer for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the chicken broth, fresh lemon juice, capers, and lemon slices, then simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sauce reduces by about a third.
Finish and serve
  1. Remove the skillet from the heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter until the sauce is glossy.
  2. Return the chicken cutlets to the skillet, spoon the sauce over each cutlet so it pools, and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Notes

For the glossiest lemon-butter sauce, swirl in the remaining cold butter off the heat so it emulsifies instead of separating. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet on low with a splash of broth. Freezing is not recommended because the chicken can lose texture and the sauce may separate. For a lower-fat option, use half butter or replace part of the butter with olive oil while still finishing with a small amount of cold butter for sheen.