Easy chicken piccata recipe with fresh lemon, capers and white wine, kicked up a notch with extra spices of oregano, garlic and cayenne.
My favorite Part of the Day...Just Before Dinner Time
My favorite part of the entire day is right before dinner time at about 6'ish pm. It’s the time when Joe and I get together, catching up on our days happenings, pouring a glass of wine and synchronizing dinner.
I have to say that the real fun is in prepping the masterpiece. We usually have some kind of appetizer going such as my favorite roasted tomatoes with burrata to snack on as we tear up the kitchen and pour wine.
And we'll make a whole theme out of it. Italian for dinner? A little Goodfellas on in the background. It's about the ambiance.
Chicken Piccata Recipe, Kicked Up a Notch
I always find myself kicking up a classic, just a bit to punch up it's flavor. Chicken piccata already has beautiful flavors of capers and lemon and its simplicity is able to take on a few more spices.
Earthy oregano, garlic powder and a pinch of spicy cayenne is added to the chickens coating as a little twist on the classic, giving the chicken piccata an extra punch of flavor. Don't like heat, you can totally omit the cayenne.
How to Make Chicken Piccata
Chicken piccata is relatively easy, just needs a bit of prep work.
Start by setting up a dredging station with separate bowls of beaten egg, and another with seasoned flour.
Dredge chicken cutlets in the egg first, then seasoned flour and fry in olive oil until both sides are golden brown and chicken is cooked through.
*Tip: Have a baking sheet lined with paper towels nearby so you can place the cooked chicken on as you work in batches.
Once chicken is cooked, set aside and in the same skillet, saute the garlic and red pepper flakes for about 1-2 minutes.
Then add butter, white wine, chicken stock, lemon slices and lemon juice.
Continue to cooking on medium-high heat while using a spatula to scrape the meaty bits from the bottom of the pan as the sauce reduces. Add capers and toss to combine.
Add chicken cutlets back in and gently coat sauce all over chicken. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve.
What to Serve with Chicken Piccata
Italian Style Peppers and Onions would be a delicious antipasti to start dinner with or on the side along with Creamy Parmesan Polenta with Thyme.
Classic Chicken Piccata with Lemon and Capers
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- ½ cup flour
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 2 eggs whisked
- Olive oil for drizzling
- 2 garlic cloves chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional, for heat
- ¼ cup capers
- 1 lemon half cut into thin slices and half used for juicing
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Few leaves of fresh basil or parsley chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Start by carefully slicing the chicken breasts lengthwise so you will have 4 pieces.
- Then place chicken breasts between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and use a meat hammer to pound on the chicken to about ¼ inch thickness.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and set aside.
- Next set up a dredging station. In a large shallow bowl, mix together the flour, cayenne, garlic powder and dried oregano. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet with a good drizzle of olive oil on medium heat while you prep the chicken.
- Using a pair of tongs, coat 1 chicken breast at a time in the flour until well coated and then dredge chicken in the egg mixture, allowing any excess to drip off. Repeat with the rest of the chicken and set aside until pan is hot enough.
- Fry 2-3 chicken breasts at a time (you'll have to cook in batches depending how large your pan is) for about 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and chicken is cooked through.
- When chicken is done, remove to a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet, saute garlic and red pepper flakes for about 1-2 minutes. You may want to add additional oil if needed.
- Add butter, white wine, chicken stock, lemon slices and lemon juice. Continue cooking on medium-high heat while using a spatula to scrape the meaty bits from the bottom of the pan. The sauce should reduce slightly and thicken.
- Turn off heat and add capers and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and taste for seasoning. Add chicken cutlets back in and spoon sauce all over chicken.
- Once done, plate chicken cutlets with caper and lemon sauce and garnish with fresh herbs.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated on 2/13/20 with added tips and nutrition.
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
That looks scrumptious!
Samantha says
Thanks Dorothy 🙂
Jersey Girl Cooks says
This looks pretty and delicious! Bookmarking so that I can make it for my family dinner.
Samantha says
Yayyyy Let me know when you do!!
Jonathan says
This looks, to me, more like "Chicken Francese" as a picatta would not have the egg batter and would focus more on the lemon flavor. That said, this looks like a splendid version of Francese which is one of my favorites!!! Thank you
Samantha says
Thanks Jonathan! Hope you try it! I've had francese many times as well, but I love capers which I have always called picatta 🙂
Carrie Pacini says
Your Chicken Picatta looks great!
Samantha says
Thank you Carrie!
Greengablesgal (Anne) says
Great recipe! Made it without the capers since I forgot to pick some up at the store. Very yummy and close to my fathers recipe! I added a little flour to the sauce to thicken it up a bit and it was fantastic! Looking forward to trying your other recipes.
Samantha says
Hi Anne!! That's fabulous..thank you for letting me know! Picatta is one of my favorite dishes..perfect comfort food! If you ever have any recipe suggestions, please let me know 🙂