How to Cook Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata, consisting of chicken cooked with shallots, garlic, capers, lemon, butter, and olive oil, is beloved in the United States. The Italian term "piccata" refers to food that has been sliced, sauteed, and served in a sauce containing lemon, parsley, and butter. The original version of this dish, veal piccata, is equally delicious.

Things You'll Need

• Sealable plastic bags
• Mallet
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Sea salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• Flour
• Fresh garlic, minced (to taste)
• 4 shallots, chopped
• 3 tbsp. capers
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Lemon wedges
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Instructions

1. Enclose the chicken in a plastic resealable bag, and pound it with a meat mallet until it is flattened to 1/4 inch in thickness. Crack egg into a bowl and beat it with a fork.

2. Coat chicken with a thin layer of flour, and dip it into the bowl of beaten egg.

3. Mix together the breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Roll chicken in the mixture until it is evenly coated.

4. Heat olive oil and butter in a large saute pan, and cook chicken for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until it is browned. Remove chicken and add chopped shallots to the pan. Cook shallots for several minutes until they become transparent. Add lemon juice, capers, minced fresh garlic, chicken broth and white wine to the pan. Simmer for several minutes to allow the different tastes to meld together.

5. Place chicken back in the sauce, and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Taste the chicken periodically, and if you would like it to absorb more flavors, allow it to continue simmering, on very low heat, for up to 45 minutes.

6. Serve chicken with sliced lemon wedges and parsley sprigs as a garnish.

References

• Life's Ambrosia: Chicken Piccata
• All Recipes: Chicken Piccata I