Chicken Piccata is an Italian American dish that originated in the 1930s. Therefore, it’s not something you will see on menus when visiting Italy. Piccata is not a region, it’s a way of cooking. It is an Italian word meaning larded. Referencing a way of preparing food, it means sliced and sauteed in a sauce containing lemon, butter, and spices. It’s assumed that the creator was most likely Sicilian because the "piquantly flavored" dish contains tart and zesty ingredients, commonly used in Sicilian cuisine.
PSA!! Use light olive oil, which has a higher smoke point; therefore you will not burn the chicken.
Traditional Chicken Piccata
4
servings20
minutes10
minutesIngredients
4 4 chicken breasts
3/4 cup 3/4 all purpose flour
1/2 cup 1/2 dry white wine
1 cup 1 chicken bone broth
2 tbsp 2 capers in brine drained
1 tbsp 1 fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp 2 butter
2 2 -3 tbsp light olive oil
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley
Directions
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have thin cutlets. Cover them with a sheet of plastic wrap (cling film) and pound them gently and evenly with a meat mallet or rolling pin until they are around 1/4 inches thick.
- Season the chicken with salt then dredge each cutlet in flour, making sure to shake off any excess.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan, once hot fry the chicken cutlets in batches for 4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked all the way through. Place the cooked chicken on a clean plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Turn the heat down low and add 1 tbsp of butter. Once melted add the wine and the broth, then turn the heat to high and whisk the sauce until it starts to thicken slightly (about 5-6 minutes).
- Add the remaining tbsp of butter, capers and lemon juice. Stir well until the butter has melted. Add the chicken back to the pan. Serve chicken on a nice platter ensuring all the sauce is encompassing the chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley.
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