It’s a classic for a reason! Juicy chicken cutlets, with a light crust that soaks up all of this delicious sauce! Fresh lemon juice and white wine with capers and garlic, finished with butter! It’s silky and refreshing and so satisfying!
Boneless/ skinless chicken breasts are not big on flavor, but they are like a blank canvas. A light crusty breading and a flavorful sauce really bring them to life! This chicken dinner is restaurant quality, is easy to whip up and is so delicious!
Here’s what you need:
Equipment you may need:
Once you get started, this dish comes together pretty quickly. So I recommend having everything measured out and prepped before beginning. It will save you the stress of panic prepping once you have already started.
Start by browning the chicken.
Season the cutlets on both side with a bit of salt. Then dredge them lightly but completely in the flour.
Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and wait for it to preheat before adding the chicken. The oil should be slightly smoking when it is ready. Adding the chicken too early will cause it to stick to the pan.
If needed, cook the chicken in batches of 2 or 3 to ensure they brown well on both sides. Also, the chicken needs to be fully cooked with this step. It isn’t going to finish braising in the sauce later. This is why you the chicken breasts need to be cut into thin cutlets.
Make the sauce.
If there is an excessive amount of oil left in the pan, go ahead and drain it off. Just leave enough to sauté the aromatics.
Turn the heat to medium and add the shallots and garlic with a pinch of salt. Sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the capers and sauté for 1 minute more.
Add the white wine to deglaze. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and incorporate them into the sauce. Add the lemon juice and chicken stock. Simmer for about 5 minutes. It will reduce a bit, but won’t thicken up the way a cream-based sauce does. It will still be a bit on the loose side, which is normal.
Emulsify with butter.
Turn the heat down to low and add the butter. Swirl it around in the pan to emulsify it with the sauce.
Add the browned chicken back to the pan and toss it in the sauce. Coat it well on both sides, using a spoon to bathe the cutlets. Sprinkle the saucy chicken with fresh parsley!
Serve over rice, cauliflower rice, potatoes or polenta!
Other recipes to try:
Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cut into 4 cutlets
- 1 cup flour
- kosher salt
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 shallot minced (about 2 tbsp)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp capers drained
- 1/4 cups dry white wine
- 6 tbsp lemon juice
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat a skillet to medium-high and add the olive oil. Sprinkle the 4 chicken cutlets with salt on both sides. Pour the flour into a wide shallow bowl and lightly dredge the chicken until fully coated. Shake off excess. Brown the cutlets for about 4 minutes on each side, until they reach 165 degrees internally. If needed, cook the chicken in batches to prevent overcrowding the pan. Once all of the chicken is brown, place on a wire rack while you prepare the sauce. Turn the heat down slightly to medium. If needed, drain off any excess oil, then add the shallots and garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the capers and sauté for about 1 minute more. Add the white wine to deglaze. Use a wooden spoon to scrape brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the lemon juice and the chicken broth and reduce for 5 minutes. It will be a somewhat loose sauce so don't worry if it hasn't thickened much. Turn the heat to low and add the butter. Stir it in to emulsify it with the sauce.Return the chicken to the pan and toss it to fully coat both sides. Finish with fresh parsley.