Mary’s Quick and Easy Chicken Piccata Recipe
If you know me, then you know that Italian cuisine is one of my go-to’s, and it’s probably my favorite. My whole family loves it too—so I’m going back to the basics with this one and sharing my quick and easy Chicken Piccata recipe with you.
My favorite ingredient in this chicken piccata recipe is capers!
I always have a jar of capers tucked away in my pantry. They’re a staple ingredient in my house. Paired with some bright, fresh lemon juice, it’s really the capers that set this dish apart from all the other chicken recipes. So flavorful! So before we get into the full recipe, let me tell you a little bit more about the “what” and “why” of tangy, delicious capers.
First, what are capers?
Capers might not look like they come from a flower, but they do. But I’m getting ahead of myself here: What are capers anyway? Capers are the immature buds of a prickly bush that grows wild across the Mediterranean region. These little buds are pickled in a salty brine, which is how capers get their trademark taste. The salt preserves the capers and brings out their iconic flavor. They’re used widely in Mediterranean cuisine—and if you don’t automatically think of Italy when you think of the Mediterranean, I hope we’ll change that today!
Where does piccata come from?
Even though it’s Italian, the name “piccata” stems from the French word “pique” which means “sharp.” It’s also the root of the English word “piquant,” if you’ve heard that one before. Together, the lemon and capers give this dish a piquant flavor, thus picatta!
Here’s another little plot twist: Although you would think this dish originated in Italy, the original Chicken Piccata recipe was actually created in the United States by Italian immigrants. The original piccatas were made with veal, but over time, chicken became a more affordable protein for the dish… and it’s really good, too.
My Favorite Ways to Serve Chicken Piccata
I love to serve the picatta family style on a large platter on top of some fresh pasta that has been simply tossed with extra-virgin olive oil. Add a sprinkle of freshly chopped Italian parsley for a burst of freshness and color!
Here’s a little tip on how to make the perfect chicken piccata sauce:
You can make the sauce separately. It’s kind of a fail-safe—if you brown the chicken a bit, you don’t have to worry about any of the overly toasted coating getting into the sauce. This particular sauce is very quick and simple to put together, and the result is an incredibly flavorful treat.
Mary’s Quick and Easy Chicken Piccata Recipe
Ingredients
- Four 6-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper
- 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, divided
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice, about 2 lemons
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup capers, rinsed and patted dry with paper towel
- ⅓ cup loosely packed chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- Evenly place the flour onto a plate and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in flour until they are completely coated on both sides. Shake off excess flour and place the chicken on a clean plate.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter along with the olive oil. When hot, carefully add the chicken pieces. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until the chicken is lightly browned.
- Turn the chicken over and brown the other side. Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pan and place it on a paper towel-lined plate. If your pan is not large enough to accommodate 4 pieces of chicken, go ahead and brown your chicken in 2 batches.
- Take the pan off the heat. Carefully add the lemon juice, stock, and capers to the pan you used to cook the chicken. Be careful—the mixture may sputter a bit when these ingredients are added. Return to the heat and bring the mixture to a low boil, scraping up any brown bits from the pan.
- Return the chicken to the pan and simmer in the sauce for 5 minutes. Check that the chicken has been cooked through. When the chicken is fully cooked, transfer it to a platter.
- Add the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter to the sauce, whisking vigorously. Mix in the chopped Italian parsley and place the chicken back in the sauce. Turn to coat.
- Serve your chicken picatta on a bed of pasta and garnish with a few thin slices of lemon. This is gonna be good… enjoy!