Chicken piccata with capers is thin chicken cutlets dusted in flour, seared until golden, then served in a bright pan sauce of lemon, white wine, briny capers and butter. The browned bits left by the chicken become the base of the sauce, so it all happens in one skillet. It takes about 35 minutes and serves four.
Disclosure: Nontoxic Chefs is published by the founder of Kaizen Cookware. Kaizen makes titanium pans, so when a page mentions Kaizen or titanium cookware, we have a stake in it. How we handle this.
Why piccata starts with thin, even cutlets
Piccata is a fast dish. The chicken spends only a few minutes in the pan, so it has to be thin and the same thickness from end to end. A whole breast is thick at one end and thin at the other, and by the time the fat end is cooked, the tapered end is dry.
Lay each breast flat, press down with your palm, and slice through it horizontally to make two thinner pieces. Put them between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan, working from the center out, until they're an even 1/4 inch.
| Cutlet thickness | Time per side, medium high | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 inch, even | 2 to 3 minutes | Golden crust, juicy center |
| 1/2 inch | 4 to 5 minutes | Coating darkens before the middle is done |
| Whole breast, unpounded | Not suited to pan frying | Dry edges, raw center |
The USDA safe minimum temperature chart lists 165°F for poultry. A thin cutlet hits that quickly; it's opaque all the way through and the juices run clear when pressed.
What does the flour dredge actually do?
It does three jobs. Flour gives the surface something dry to brown, so the cutlets turn golden in the short time they cook. It protects the outside of the meat from the direct heat. And some of it stays behind in the pan, where it toasts into fond and later thickens the sauce just enough to coat a spoon.
- Season the chicken, not the flour. Salt and pepper go straight onto the cutlets so every bite is seasoned.
- Dredge right before cooking. Flour left sitting on raw chicken absorbs moisture and turns pasty, then sticks to the pan.
- Shake off the excess. You want a thin, dusty layer. Clumps of loose flour burn in the oil and turn the sauce bitter.
- Use a titanium-surface skillet. Control the heat so the flour turns golden and the browned residue stays flavorful rather than burning.
If you're unsure which pan to reach for, this comparison of cookware materials explains the titanium surface and layered construction we focus on here.
How to keep the lemon butter sauce from breaking
Piccata sauce is an emulsion: butter suspended in a small amount of reduced, acidic liquid. It looks glossy and creamy when it works and greasy and separated when it doesn't. The order matters.
- Reduce the wine first. Pour it into the hot pan, scrape up the browned bits, and boil until it's down by half, about 2 minutes.
- Add stock, lemon and capers. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by about a third, 4 to 5 minutes. There should be roughly 2/3 cup left.
- Take the pan off the heat. Wait 20 seconds for the bubbling to stop.
- Swirl in cold butter. Add it a piece at a time, swirling the pan until each one melts before adding the next.
From this point the sauce shouldn't boil, or the butter will split out. If it does break, add a tablespoon of water or stock off the heat and swirl hard; it usually comes back together.
Brined vs salt packed capers for chicken piccata
Capers are the unopened flower buds of a Mediterranean shrub, cured in either brine or salt. Both work here, but they need different handling.
Brined capers are what most supermarkets sell. Drain them and give them a quick rinse to take off the vinegary edge, then pat dry. Salt packed capers have a firmer texture and a more floral flavor, but they're far too salty straight from the jar. Soak them in cold water for 15 minutes, changing the water once, then rinse.
Size matters too. Small nonpareil capers scatter through the sauce and give a briny pop in almost every bite. Larger capers have more flavor per piece and can be roughly chopped. Three tablespoons is a generous amount for four cutlets. If you love them, fry an extra tablespoon in the oil before the chicken goes in, for about 30 seconds until they open and crisp, and scatter them on top at the end.
Serving piccata with pasta, potatoes or greens
The sauce is the reason to make this, so serve it with something that catches it. Thin pasta is the Italian American standard: toss 8 ounces of cooked angel hair or linguine with a little butter and pasta water, set the cutlets on top, and spoon the sauce over everything.
For a heartier plate, garlic mashed potatoes soak up the lemon butter beautifully. A plain green vegetable is all you need alongside, such as steamed green beans, roasted asparagus or sautéed spinach with garlic. A grilled Caesar salad brings smoke and crunch if you'd rather keep it light.
Bring the plates to the table quickly. As the sauce cools it thickens and loses its sheen, and the coating on the cutlets softens the longer it sits in the liquid.
The recipe
Chicken Piccata with Capers, Lemon and a Silky Butter Sauce
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lb / 680 g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup (65 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
For the sauce
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) low sodium chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons)
- 3 tablespoons capers, drained, rinsed and patted dry
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Thin lemon slices, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Make the cutlets. Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally to make 4 thin pieces. Pound them between plastic wrap to an even 1/4 inch thickness and season both sides with the salt and pepper.
- Dredge the chicken. Put the flour in a shallow dish. Just before cooking, press each cutlet into the flour on both sides and shake off the excess until only a thin dusty layer remains.
- Sear the cutlets. Heat 2 tablespoons oil and the 1 tablespoon butter in a 12 inch titanium-surface skillet over medium high heat until the butter foams. Cook 2 cutlets for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden and 165°F inside. Move to a plate, add the remaining oil and cook the other 2.
- Reduce the wine. Lower the heat to medium. Add the shallot and garlic and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant. Pour in the wine, scrape up the browned bits and boil until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
- Simmer the sauce. Add the stock, lemon juice and capers and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until reduced by about a third. Take the pan off the heat and let the bubbling stop.
- Finish with butter. Swirl in the cold butter one piece at a time until the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened. Stir in the parsley and taste for salt.
- Warm and serve. Return the cutlets and any resting juices to the pan over low heat for 30 seconds, spooning the sauce over them without letting it boil. Serve right away with lemon slices.
Cook's notes
- Thin cutlets sold as chicken scallopini or cutlets skip the slicing step; pound them lightly so they're even.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently in a covered skillet with a splash of stock so the sauce doesn't split.
- The same sauce works with thin pork cutlets or veal scallopini, cooked for the same time.
- For a dairy free sauce, finish with 2 tablespoons of good olive oil instead of the butter. It'll be thinner but still bright.
Chicken Piccata questions
What can I use instead of white wine in piccata?
Replace the 1/2 cup of wine with the same amount of extra chicken stock plus 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar or an extra teaspoon of lemon juice. The vinegar adds back some of the acidity wine brings. Skip the reducing step and add it with the rest of the stock, since there's no alcohol to cook off.
Why did my piccata sauce turn greasy?
A greasy piccata sauce has broken, meaning the butter separated from the liquid. It happens when the butter goes into a boiling pan or the sauce boils afterward. Take the skillet off the heat, add a tablespoon of water or stock and swirl hard until it turns glossy again. Then warm it only gently from there.
Is chicken piccata gluten free?
Classic chicken piccata isn't gluten free because the cutlets are dredged in wheat flour. Swap in white rice flour or a cup for cup gluten free flour blend, which brown well and thicken the sauce lightly. Check that your chicken stock is labeled gluten free too. Capers, wine, lemon and butter are naturally gluten free.
Should I use chicken thighs for piccata?
You can make piccata with boneless skinless thighs, and they're harder to dry out. Pound them to an even 1/3 inch, dredge as usual and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Thighs are richer, so add an extra squeeze of lemon to the sauce. Cook them to at least 165°F; they stay tender a bit beyond that.
Keep cooking
