A friend’s mother used to make chicken piccata on Friday nights, and it was the dish that convinced me Italian-American cooking deserved more respect than it was getting in the mid-nineties. Thin cutlets, flour-dusted, browned fast in a hot pan, then pulled while you built the sauce from whatever stuck to the bottom. So good. Lemon, capers, a bit of white wine and some butter finished it off. She was done before anyone else had even found their seat at the table. This version follows the same logic: a quick, sharp sauce that works because of the fond and the acid, not because of anything complicated.
How to Make Chicken Piccata
Pound the chicken thin
Quarter-inch thickness cooks through in about three minutes per side. Thicker pieces either burn outside or stay raw in the middle. True story. A plastic bag and a rolling pin work fine if you don’t have a mallet.
Build the sauce from the pan
Don’t wipe the skillet between the chicken and the sauce. The browned bits on the bottom dissolve into the wine and give the sauce its depth. Let the wine reduce by half before adding lemon juice and broth. 
Finish with cold butter
Swirl the remaining butter in off the heat. It emulsifies and gives the sauce a glossy, slightly thickened texture. If the pan is too hot, it breaks into greasy puddles.
Chicken Piccata
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Chicken piccata is proof that you can make a restaurant-quality Italian dinner in under twenty minutes. Thin chicken cutlets dredged in flour, pan-fried until golden, then sauced with lemon, butter, capers, and white wine. The sauce is bright and briny, the chicken is tender, and the whole thing sits beautifully on a bed of angel hair or mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons capers, drained
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Lemon slices for garnish
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge lightly in flour, shaking off excess.
- Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken 3 minutes per side until golden. Remove to a plate.
- Add the wine to the skillet, scraping up fond. Let it reduce by half, about 2 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice, broth, and capers. Simmer 3 minutes until the sauce reduces slightly.
- Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to create a glossy, emulsified sauce.
- Return the chicken to the pan, spooning sauce over the cutlets. Garnish with parsley and lemon slices.
Notes
- Pounding the chicken thin is essential — thick pieces will not cook through in the time it takes to build a golden crust.
- The final butter swirl off the heat creates the glossy, restaurant-quality sauce. Do not skip it.
- Capers add the salty, briny punch that defines piccata. Drain them well so they do not add excess liquid.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 720
- Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 14
- Protein: 38
- Cholesterol: 120
Find it online: https://honestcooking.com/chicken-piccata-recipe/
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Boneless, skinless thighs work well. They’re more forgiving with heat and stay juicy. Pound them to an even thickness and add a minute or two to the cooking time.
What if I don’t have white wine?
Use dry vermouth or extra chicken broth with a bit of white wine vinegar. The acidity is important for balancing the butter in the sauce.
How do I keep the chicken warm while making the sauce?
Tent the cooked chicken loosely with foil on a plate. The sauce only takes about 5 minutes, so the chicken stays warm enough. Return it to the pan briefly before serving.
