What Is Chicken Piccata?
If you grew up with parents that cooked often—like we did—or grew up eating out at Italian restaurants basically anywhere in America (hello, Olive Garden) you’re probably kind of familiar with “chicken piccata” as we mean it—a pan-fried chicken cutlet, topped with a lemon-butter piccata sauce. BUT! Chicken piccata as we know it doesn’t actually seem to have origins in Italy.
It’s likely an Italian-American invention, a derivative of a couple of different classic Italian cooking techniques, like scaloppine which means “thin slices of meat (such as veal) sautéed or coated with flour and fried”. A lemon and butter pan sauce is a classic way of dressing pan-fried meat, and is common throughout Italy, but the (brilliant) addition of capers can’t be attributed to any one place or time. However and whenever it came into being, chicken piccata is—as far as we’re concerned—a very welcome addition to any home cook’s repertoire, right alongside classics like Coq Au Vin and Beef Bourguinon.
When in Doubt, Turn to Italy.
Or at least, Italian-American cuisine. Lemony, caper-topped, and just buttery enough, our easy chicken piccata recipe makes for an easy weeknight supper that’s easy to love, and so very fast—just ten minutes from sauté pan to table after all, it’s basically thin scaloppine—or “thin pieces”—of chicken, fried in butter and drizzled a tangy lemon-butter pan sauce that’s studded with briny capers. What’s not to love!?
What you'll need
Sure, chicken breast isn’t the most exciting thing ever. But, it doesn’t take much to perk it WAY up. Just a few, easy-to-find ingredients—ones that you might even have around already—and you’ll be amazed how delicious that humble chicken breast can be. Here’s what you’ll need to make chicken piccata:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt & pepper
- Flour for dredging
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Chicken stock
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Lemons, they brighten everything, including our Lemon Butter Chicken.
- Capers
How to Make Chicken Piccata Part 1: The Pan-Fry
- Slice the chicken breasts horizontally—you’ll need a sharp knife for this, obviously! The reason you cut the chicken breast into thin pieces is so that they can cook evenly during the pan-frying process. Thin pieces of chicken mean that when the outside is crispy and perfectly brown, the chicken will be cooked through. Magic!
- Dredge! Season the chicken breast pieces, and then give them a nice coating of flour. For whatever reason, kids really love to help out with this step. If they’re old enough to know to be careful with raw poultry, go ahead and outsource this step to them!
- Fry! Fry the chicken cutlets in a combination of olive oil and butter. The oil helps prevent the butter from burning, plus, we love the flavor of both!
How to Make Chicken Piccata Part 2: The Piccata Sauce
Our piccata sauce is simply a pan sauce, which means that we use the good crispy, chicken-tinged buttery bits that are left in the skillet after frying the chicken cutlets to make a sauce. Here’s how to make this lemony piccata sauce:
- Sauté shallots and garlic in the pan drippings—i.e. the leftover oil and butter.
- Add stock! This is your chance to scrape up those tasty brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in more butter, plus the requisite capers and lemon juice.
- Season with a little salt and pepper.
- That's it! You made a pan sauce!
Tools You’ll Need
- A big skillet.
- A bowl or pie pan for dredging.
- A sharp knife for filleting the chicken into cutlets.
Four Easy Chicken Recipes To Perk Up Your Weeknight Dinners
Chicken doesn’t have to be bland. Healthy and quick, think of it as the ultimate blank slate. Here are five of our favorite fast chicken recipes to add some flavor to your weeknight routine:
Piccata is the Difference Between “Chicken Again??” and “Chicken Again, YAY!!”
We’re crazy about this simple chicken piccata recipe, and hope you love it, too! Snap a photo of your gorgeous finished dish, and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you feed it to. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!
