Chicken Piccata with Capers (Printable version)

Tender chicken breasts sautéed and finished in a tangy lemon-caper sauce with fresh parsley.

# What you need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
03 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

→ For Sautéing

04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
05 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or use olive oil for dairy-free)

→ Sauce

06 - 1/2 cup dry white wine (or low-sodium chicken broth)
07 - 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
08 - 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
09 - 2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
10 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or dairy-free substitute)
11 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

# How to make it:

01 - Slice each chicken breast horizontally to make 4 thin cutlets. Pat dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
02 - Dredge the cutlets lightly in flour, shaking off excess.
03 - Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chicken in a single layer (work in batches if needed). Cook 2–3 minutes per side, until golden and just cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil.
04 - Add wine to the skillet and scrape up any browned bits. Simmer 2 minutes.
05 - Add chicken broth, lemon juice, and capers. Simmer 3–4 minutes until slightly reduced.
06 - Reduce heat to low; swirl in 2 tablespoons butter until the sauce is glossy.
07 - Return chicken and any juices to the skillet; simmer 1–2 minutes to heat through. Plate the chicken, spoon sauce over top, and garnish with parsley.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • The bright lemon-caper sauce comes together in minutes but tastes like something from a restaurant
  • Its one of those rare dishes that feels fancy enough for dinner guests but easy enough for a Tuesday
02 -
  • Don't rush the pan scraping step when you add the wine because those browned bits contain most of the dishes deep flavor
  • Let the sauce reduce a bit before adding the final butter or it wont emulsify properly and may look separated
03 -
  • Pound the chicken lightly between plastic wrap if your cutlets are uneven in thickness
  • Use a stainless steel skillet rather than nonstick so you get those beautiful browned bits for deglazing

Go back