This recipe is a nice light dish that makes me feel healthy when I eat it. It is super fast to prepare and is done all in one skillet on top of the stove. It goes with a variety of sides, but of course one of my favorites is to serve it with angel hair pasta, placing the chicken cutlet on top of the pasta and pouring the sauce over top. It is also great with mashed potatoes or rice.
TIPS: I often use pork loin cutlets, pounded thin, in this recipe instead of chicken. You make it the exact same way and it is very good. After you have made this a few times you may find yourself adjusting the amount of lemon juice depending on your preferences for more or less “lemony”. This makes a thin sauce, more like a broth, that you pour over the meat, not a thicker cream sauce. The butter at the end adds richness, but if you are trying to reduce fat in your diet, it isn’t essential.
Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breasts pounded into thin cutlets (about 1/2 inch thick)
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1/4 C flour
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Piccata Sauce:
- 1/2 C dry white wine (like pinot grigio)
- 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
- 1 C low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp drained capers
- 2-3 Tbsp butter
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge each cutlet in flour and shake off the excess.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute chicken cutlets about 3 minutes on one side, until they start to brown, then flip. Saute the other side about 2 minutes until browned and chicken is almost cooked through. Transfer cutlets to a platter and loosely cover with foil.
Piccata Sauce:
- Carefully add wine and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan for a few seconds. Add the minced garlic and cook in the wine until garlic begins to lightly brown (not burnt) and wine is reduced, about 2 minutes. Add broth, lemon juice, and the capers and bring back to a simmer. Simmer about 2 minutes.
Finish the chicken:
- Return the chicken (and any accumulated juices) to the pan. Bring to a simmer again and cook chicken 1 minute on each side in the sauce to complete cooking the cutlets. (Chicken should be 165 degrees to be fully cooked).
- Transfer cutlets to the plate. Finish sauce by whisking the butter into the sauce until it melts. Serve by pouring the sauce over the cutlets on each plate. Top with fresh parsley and thin lemon slices (optional).
- Enjoy!