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Chicken, duck & turkey Lunch / Dinner Main Courses

Chicken piccata

Published: 11.05.2016 » Last updated: 01.08.2023

Pounded chicken thigh fillets are dredged in flour, browned in olive oil then braised shortly with garlic, capers, white wine and lemon juice. Off the heat, more butter is added to the sauce before serving.

Chicken piccata

It sounds Italian, doesn’t it? That’s because the ancestor of the dish is Italian. In Italy, however, piccata is cooked with thin slices of veal or fish. There is no chicken piccata in Italy but it is popular in the United States. And that makes it Italian-American.

Pounding chicken fillets with mallet

My chicken piccata useschicken thigh fillets — skin on because the layer of fatty skin adds flavor and moisture to the meat, and adds crispness to the crusty surface. The chicken thigh fillets are placed between sheets of gling film and pounded to a uniform thickness.

Drying pounded chicken fillets with paper towels

Meat never browns well if wet. So, we need o get rid of excess surface moisture. This is done by placing the pounded chicken fillets on a stack of paper towels, placing another stack of paper towels on top and pressing down.

Seasoning pounded chicken fillets and coating with flour

Although chicken piccata is served with a rich sauce, we can’t rely on the sauce alone to flavor the chicken meat all the way. So, we season. Lemon pepper seasoning works best for me because it has lemon zest that adds more citrusy aroma to the dish. Rub the seasoning well into the chicken fillets before dredging them in flour and shaking off the excess.

Frying floured chicken fillets in olive oil

Heat up olive oil in a pan and fry the chicken fillets, skin side down, for about three minutes or until nicely browned. Flip and fry the opposite sides for another two minutes. Note two things about this stage of cooking.

First, use olive oil and not extra virgin olive oil which is too bitter. You don’t need a lot. A quarter of an inch deep of olive oil should be enough. But how much that is in terms of cups or tablespoons depends on the size of the frying pan. And the size of the frying pan brings us to the second thing worth noting.

If your frying pan cannot accommodate all your fillets in a single layer without touching one another, fry the chicken in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan so that the chicken can brown evenly.

Pouring wine and lemon juice into pan with chicken drippings

Set the browned chicken fillets aside (letting them rest on a rack is a good idea). Into the remaining oil in the pan, add crushed garlic and salt, and cook gently for about a minute. Pour in white wine and lemon juice. Allow to simmer for a few minutes to reduce and to allow the raw smell and taste of alcohol to dissipate. Taste and add more salt, as needed.

Before we proceed to the next step, let’s talk about the wine. What wine is ideal for chicken piccata? White wine. Sweet or dry? Here’s the thing. The choice depends on how tangy you want your chicken piccata. Sweet white wine will mellow down the sharp acidity of the lemon juice. Dry white wine hardly will but it does give the sauce a deeper flavor.

I prefer sweet wine. The Japanese rice wine called mirin is the best choice for me. It turns syrupy during cooking, it balances the acidity of the lemon juice well and it gives the sauce a lovely glossy appearance.

Simmering browned chicken and capers in piccata sauce

So, once the sauce has reduced, lay the browned chicken fillets in it in a single layer and add your capers. Simmer gently, uncovered, for three to four minutes to give the chicken a chance to soak up the flavors in the sauce. Scoop out the chicken, arrange in a serving plate or bowl, and finish the sauce.

Adding butter to chicken piccata sauce

Off the heat, drop in two tablespoons of butter into the sauce and swirl until the butter is melted. Stir to blend. Taste the sauce, stir in more salt if needed. When the balance meets with your approval, ladle the sauce (with the capers and garlic) over the chicken, sprinkle in torn mint leaves and serve your chicken piccata.

Chicken piccata

Connie Veneracion
For the garnish, I ditched the parsley in favor of mint leaves. Why mint leaves? Because mint leaves and citrus juice together make a sensational flavor combo. 
Chicken piccata may be enjoyed with bread, pasta or rice.
Chicken piccata
Print Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian-American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 4 large chicken thigh fillets - skin on
  • 4 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • olive oil - not extra virgin
  • 4 cloves garlic - peeled and crushed
  • ½ cup white wine - mirin is used here
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • salt
  • ¼ cup capers - drained
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions
 

Prep the chicken

  • Pound the chicken fillets to a uniform thickness of less than half an inch.
  • Press the pounded chicken between stacks of paper towels to remove surface moisture.
  • Rub the lemon pepper seasoning on the chicken fillets.
  • Dredge each fillet in flour and shake off the excess.

Brown the chicken

  • Pour enough olive oil into a frying pan to reach a depth of a quarter inch and heat.
  • Lay down the floured chicken fillets, skin side down, and cook for about three minutes before flipping. Cook the opposite sides for another two minutes.
  • Move the browned chicken to a rack.

Make the sauce

  • Stir the garlic into the remaining oil in the pan, sprinkle in a few pinches of salt and cook just until aromatic.
  • Pour in the wine and lemon juice.
  • Cook, uncovered, for a few minutes then taste and add more salt, if needed.

Simmer the chicken in the sauce

  • Drop the chicken into the sauce in a single layer and simmer for three to four minutes.
  • Scoop out the chicken and arrange in a serving bowl or plate.

Finish the sauce

  • Turn off the heat and add the butter to the sauce in the pan. Swirl until melted.
  • Stir the sauce to blend in the butter.
  • Taste, add more salt, if needed.

Serve your chicken piccata

  • Ladle the sauce with the capers and garlic over the chicken.
  • Garnish with torn mint leaves and serve with pasta, rice or bread.
Print Pin Recipe
Keyword Chicken Fillets

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Connie Veneracion, Chiang Mai, 2020

Hi, I’m Connie!

Welcome to Umami Days, a blog that advocates innovative home cooking for pleasurable everyday dining. No trendy diets, no food fads and definitely no ludicrous recipe names like crustless quiche, noodleless pho or chocolate lasagna.

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