Everyone knows I’m partial to Italian cuisine, so I’m very excited to share one of my go-to, absolute favorite Italian dishes – chicken piccata! I love this recipe because it’s an automatic people pleaser, and it comes out perfectly every time. How can something so delicious be so simple – I don’t know, but I’m not complaining! Break this out with a side of lemony asparagus and roasted mashed potatoes when you’re trying to impress. Game. Set. Match.

Chicken piccata is essentially thin, lightly-breaded chicken breasts sauteed in a rich, lemony, buttery, caper sauce. If you’re not familiar with working with capers, #GetYouSome. Capers are incredible. They’re briny, kind of salty, little green guys. Flower buds, to be exact. They really elevate sauces, salads, dips, etc. I like to add extra capers because YUM.

Anyway, another reason I enjoy making this dish is because it gives me an excuse to whip out my meat mallet!

After lightly breading these pounded breasts in seasoned flour, you simply brown them on the stove.

Set them aside once they’re nice and toasty.

And after scraping up those flavor bomb brown bits from the bottom of the pan and adding lemon juice, chicken stock, and capers, simmer that sauce down.

Put that chicken back in to simmer and soak up that saucy goodness.

Remove the chicken once more, plate it up, whisk more butter into the sauce…

Then pour that sauce over the chicken! Voila!

Chicken Piccata 

This recipe is inspired by Giada De Laurentiis’ Chicken Piccata recipe, which can be found here. 

Ingredients: 

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (butterflied, pounded thin, and cut in half)

All purpose flour

6 tbs unsalted butter

5 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup capers

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Kosher salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the chicken in flour that has also been seasoned with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 2 tbs butter and 3 tbs olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove the chicken and set it aside on a plate tented with foil.
3. Add 2 more tbs of butter and 2 more tbs of olive oil to the pan, and add the remaining 2 pieces of chicken. Cook for 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Transfer the chicken to the same plate with the other cooked pieces.
4. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the lemon juice, chicken stock, and capers. Bring that mixture to a boil, scraping up the brown bits of chicken from the bottom of the pan. Season to taste.
5. Add the cooked chicken back to the pan, and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Remove the chicken and place it on your serving plates.
7. Add 2 more tbs of butter to the sauce, and whisk until incorporated. Allow the sauce to simmer for 5 more minutes, or until slightly thickened. Pour the sauce over the chicken, and garnish with parsley.