Chicken piccata Recipe with Step by Step Pictures. Pan fried chicken breast cooked with a lemon butter sauce dotted with capers and lemon slices which is a popular Italian dish easy to make at home. Piccata is served with lemon butter pasta or Aglio e Olio.
Take boneless chicken breast in a cutting board. You will be needing boneless skinless chicken breast. Butterfly the chicken breast (use a knife to open up the chicken breast like a book). Use a meat mallet the bash the chicken gently so it is even and flattened.
Now make the seasoned flour. Take flour in a bowl, season with salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside. You can add any dried herbs like thyme, parsley into the flour if needed.
Coat the chicken with seasoned flour on both sides. Set aside.
In a shallow Dutch oven, heat 3 tbsp olive oil. Place the chicken in the hot oil and pan fry on both sides for 2 mins. Remove to a clean plate and set aside.
Now for making the sauce. I like to clean the pan using a paper towel to remove the burnt flour particles. Add 1 tbsp extra olive oil and let it warm through. Add in chopped shallots and capers and saute for 1 min.
Add in chicken stock and use a spatula to scrape the burnt bits from the bottom. Let the chicken stock boil and reduce until it is half way reduced. Now add in lemon juice and mix well.
Place the chicken back into the sauce and coat on both sides. Now remove the chicken onto a clean serving dish.
Now to the sauce add in the butter. Make sure the butter is cold. Add little at a time and mix well so the sauce gets emulsified and turns creamy. Add in black pepper and parsley and mix well.
Spoon the sauce over the chicken and top with slices of lemon. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
You can use ½ cup of white wine in this dish for more authentic taste.
Sliced lemons can be added directly into the sauce during the final minute of cooking. But I like it as garnish.
Make sure you cook the chicken breast just right else the chicken may get rubbery.
Taste and adjust the lemon juice.
Make sure your butter is cold and cut into small pieces when you add in piccata.
Some people prefer to add cream in their sauce. If you want you can a splash of cream which I think is not necessary.