Classic Chicken Piccata
Submitted by Karen1965
Classic chicken piccata pounds boneless breasts thin, dredges in flour, then finishes in a buttery white wine, lemon, and garlic pan sauce. Italian-American restaurant favorite in 35 minutes.
YIELD
5 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
20 minREADY
35 minClassic chicken piccata is the Italian-American trattoria standby that turns boneless chicken breasts into a 35-minute restaurant-style plate. The technique is straightforward but unforgiving: pound thin, dredge in flour, sear hot and fast, then build a glossy lemon-butter pan sauce with the fond left behind.
The garlic-removal trick is what separates this from a standard pan-fried chicken. Sliced garlic gets gently browned in olive oil first, then pulled out before the chicken hits the pan so it doesn’t burn during the high-heat sear. The toasted garlic comes back in at the end, contributing nutty depth without bitterness.
Chef Tips
- Pound the breasts to a true ¼ inch even thickness. Uneven pieces cook at different rates and you’ll end up with dry edges and rare centers.
- Pat the chicken dry before flouring. Wet meat won’t take a clean coating, and the sear will steam instead of crisp.
- Deglaze with cold wine, not hot. The sudden temperature drop lifts more fond off the pan, which is the foundation of a great pan sauce.
- Add butter at the end off the heat, swirling to emulsify. Boiled butter breaks the sauce into greasy puddles.
Variations
- Add a tablespoon of capers with the lemon juice for the more traditional briny finish.
- Serve over angel hair pasta tossed with olive oil for a complete plate.
- The recipe also works beautifully with thin veal cutlets or pheasant breast for a game-meat version.
Ingredients
Directions
Bone and skin chicken breasts.
Gently pound the meat with a mallet until thin and flat but not broken.
Sprinkle meat with black pepper, dredge lightly in flour.
Preheat a heavy wide skillet.
Add the olive oil and sauté the garlic until lightly browned, then remove and reserve.
Turn up the heat and fry the chicken quickly.
Remove the chicken and set aside.
Drain oil from pan, then deglaze pan with white wine.
Add demi-glace if desired, lemon juice and the reserve garlic.
Stir well to heat the sauce thoroughly.
Add the butter.
The garlic can be removed with a slotted spoon or left in.
Add the parsley and spoon over the chicken.
This dish is excellent when prepared with Chukar, pheasant, Hungarian partridge, blue grouse or ruffed grouse.
The demi-glace can be left out.
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