Chicken Piccata

Lightly battered chicken breast with a rich lemon butter sauce makes this Chicken Piccata a family favorite. Try it, and you will see why.

An Italian restaurant near our home is known for its chicken piccata. When the restaurant is mentioned by the locals, you are almost certain to hear, “Have you had their Chicken Piccata?” or “I love their Chicken Piccata.” Once you have had it there, eating it anywhere else will not compare.

The dish’s popularity is due to the lemon butter sauce—lots of butter! It is deliciously decadent and stands out from the rest.

This is my recreation of the popular dish. The good news is that it comes pretty darn close to the original. The breading is light and crispy, the chicken is juicy and tender, and the sauce is lemony, rich, and delicious. The bad news is that my family can have it more often, which is not so good for the old ticker and waistband.

Try it out and enjoy it in moderation! Happy eating!

To start, butterfly each breast with a sharp knife and pound out to one-third of an inch thick.

Season well with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, then in milk, and then in breadcrumbs.

Cook the chicken in a skillet until golden brown and cooked through.

Moving on to the sauce, a beurre blanc (white butter) sauce is what you want because of its consistency and richness. However, it requires a ridiculous amount of drop-dead-while-eating-at-the-table butter. I find that a roux-based sauce offers the same flavor profile while using quite a bit less butter, making it a better option.

To make it, cook the shallot and garlic in about 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Add flour.

Next, whisk in chicken broth and salt. Allow to boil. Add lemon juice. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the remaining butter in increments.

Serve over chicken. Drooling!!

Recommended supplies:

(Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)

• Large skillet—this is a 12-inch professional stainless steel Cuisinart skillet.
• Wire whisk—this is a 10.5-inch KitchenAid in matte aqua sky.
• A turner/spatula—this is an OXO Good Grips stainless steel turner.

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Chicken Piccata

Author: In Good Flavor Cooking Method:Stovetop Cooked Cuisine:Italian Courses:Main

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 40 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 55 minutesServings:5 ServingsCalories:300 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Lightly battered chicken breast with a rich lemon butter sauce makes this Chicken Piccata a family favorite. Try it, and you will see why.

Ingredients

• 5 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, about 3 1/2 pounds
• 1 1/2 cups flour for dredging
• 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 cups milk*
• Salt and pepper for seasoning chicken
• Oil for cooking

Lemon Butter Sauce:

• 1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth
• 10 tbsp. butter (12 tbsp. if you want to be really bad)
• 4 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 1/2 tbsp. flour
• 2 tbsp. finely diced shallot, 1 small bulb
• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Butterfly each breast by making a slit down the middle, stopping about 1/3 inch short of cutting all the way through. The chicken should open up like a book. Use a meat mallet to flatten the chicken to an even 1/3-inch thickness. Generously season each side with salt and pepper.
2. Place the flour, milk, and breadcrumbs on separate shallow plates.
3. Dip each piece of chicken into the flour and tap off the excess. Dip into the milk. Dip into the breadcrumbs and tap off the excess.
4. Preheat a large skillet over medium-to-medium-high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the skillet. Working in batches, cook the chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Place on a rack on a cookie sheet and keep warm in a 170° F oven. Continue cooking all the chicken pieces, adding oil as needed.
5. To make the sauce, wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. On medium heat, add 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, stir in the shallot and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add flour, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken broth and salt. Allow it to come to a boil, stirring constantly. Add lemon juice.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in the remaining butter, 2 tablespoons at a time. Allow the butter to completely melt into the sauce before adding more. Do not allow the sauce to come back to a boil. Remove from heat temporarily if it does. Repeat adding and whisking until all of the butter is gone. Reseason with salt to taste. Serve drizzled over chicken. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
7. Makes 5 servings.

Notes:

• *I use milk as a binder while keeping the breading light. If you want a thicker breading, use beaten eggs with a splash of milk or use eggs only.
• The total cooking time is for cooking the chicken breasts one at a time. It will be reduced if you use two skillets.

Keywords:Easy chicken piccata recipe, Chicken piccata with lemon butter sauce, Juicy and tender chicken piccata, Best family favorite chicken dinners, Restaurant quality chicken piccata at home, Lightly battered chicken breast recipes

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