Four Step Chicken Piccata Recipes

EASY CHICKEN PICCATA

Steps:

• Slice chicken breasts horizontally to yield 4 pieces. Place breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4-inch thin. Place flour on a plate and dredge each breast on both sides in flour.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Put chicken into the skillet and season tops with salt and pepper. Turn when nicely browned, about 4 minutes, and season again. Cook second side until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer breasts to a plate, reserving skillet drippings.
• Add wine and lemon juice to the skillet, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Simmer to reduce and thicken sauce, about 5 minutes more. Add capers and pour sauce over chicken breasts on the plate. Sprinkle with parsley.

FOUR-STEP CHICKEN: KID-FRIENDLY PICCATA

Steps:

• Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow dish and dredge the chicken through it, coating the chicken on both sides. Place the chicken in the hot skillet and brown until golden brown and crusty, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
• Step 2: Add the mushrooms (or other vegetables) to the pan and cook, stirring often, until they are softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Step 3: Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock and lemon juice, using a wooden spoon to stir and scrape up any browned bits from the pan bottom.
• Step 4: Stir in the butter until it is melted, then add the chicken back to the sauce. Top with chopped parsley or other herbs, if desired, and serve with lemon wedges (for those who want a tangier dish).

CHICKEN PICCATA

Steps:

• Dredge chicken: Spread flour in a shallow dish; add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and whisk to combine. Place chicken in seasoned flour, turning to coat thoroughly, then tap off excess.
• Saute chicken: Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter starts to sizzle. Cook the chicken in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan (the cutlets should fit snugly in a single layer) until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes for each side. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the cutlet. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Pour out any excess fat from the pan.
• Deglaze pan and make sauce: Return pan to medium heat and add wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 30 seconds. (If the liquid is reducing too quickly -- before all the browned bits have been incorporated -- take the pan off the heat.) Remove pan from heat. Add lemon juice, capers, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter and swirl until melted and combined, then add parsley and season with salt as desired.
• Serve: Immediately pour the sauce over the chicken, and serve.

CHICKEN PICCATA

Steps:

• Flatten chicken to 1/4-inch thickness between plastic wrap or waxed paper. Mix egg and water. Mix bread crumbs, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Coat chicken with flour. Dip into egg mixture; coat with bread crumb mixture.
• Heat butter and oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken in butter mixture 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until juice is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Remove chicken from skillet using tongs; keep warm.
• Stir lemon juice and wine into drippings in skillet. Heat to boiling; pour over chicken. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, and serve with lemon wedges if desired.

PERFECT CHICKEN PICCATA

Steps:

• Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise and lightly pound to 1/2-inch thick. Season evenly on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge each piece in flour to coat the surface and shake off any excess flour.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add 1/2 of the chicken and cook, undisturbed, until browned and easily released from the skillet, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from the skillet. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the drippings and repeat the cooking process with remaining chicken. Reserve all chicken on a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium and melt remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in the skillet. Add wine and capers and stir, scraping to release any browned bits from the skillet; bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes to slightly reduce. Add chicken stock, lemon juice, and lemon zest; stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes.
• Return chicken to the skillet and cook, turning occasionally in the sauce, until chicken is no longer pink in the center, the juices run clear, and the sauce has thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley to serve.