Easy Chicken Piccata
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons frying oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoons capers drained, or to your taste
- 1/4 cup dry white wine such as Chardonnay
- 3/4 cup hot chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons cold butter
- zest from 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients: finely chop shallots, finely chop garlic (with a knife and not a garlic press), roughly chop capers (just a little bit, you can also leave them whole if that's what you prefer), zest and juice the lemon, finely chop parsley.
- Prepare chicken breasts: Cut chicken breasts horizontally in half so you have 4 thinner cutlets. Pound them slightly in their thicker part so that they cook more evenly (and quicker), don't pound them too thinly, just until they are more or less of even thickness. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge in flour on all sides, shake off excess flour.
- Cook the chicken: Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot add the chicken (if all the cutlets won't fit in your pan, cook them in two batches). Cook until browned at the bottom then turn over and cook until browned on the other side and cooked through (you can cut the chicken in its thickest part to check if it's white and not pink or measure the temperature with an instant-read thermometer, it should be 165°F or 74°C). Transfer the chicken to a plate. If any oil is left in the pan, discard it.
- Cook the sauce: Reduce the heat to low, add olive oil and shallots. Cook for about 2 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and capers, cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine, cook for 1-2 minutes or until almost evaporated. Add hot broth. Cook for a couple of minutes or until the sauce has thickened and reduced its volume (by about 1/3-1/2). While you're cooking the sauce make sure to scape all the brown bits at the bottom of the pan with a spatula (extra flavor). Now whisk in cold butter, adding 1 tablespoon at a time. Add another tablespoon when the previous one is incorporated into the sauce. Add lemon zest and juice, season the sauce with salt and pepper, if necessary. Take off the heat, whisk in chopped parsley.
- Serve: Serve your chicken with the pan sauce. Good sides for the chicken are cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes and peas.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- This dish comes out saucy - we love the extra sauce for the mashed potatoes or egg noodles, but if you'd like it less saucy, you can use 3 chicken breasts instead of 2 (increase the flour accordingly).
- Calories = 1 serving (1/4 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
Nutrition
Calories: 407kcal