Based on the classic Italian dish veal piccata. Chicken breast fillets, pounded thin and sautéed in butter and oil, are topped with a piquant sauce of butter, wine, lemons, capers and parsley. Recipe below.
It’s week three of Butterfest at Blue Kitchen. Last week, my Hake with Lentils and Sage Mustard Butter had five and a half tablespoons of butter. And while Marion’s Chevre Cheesecake with Hazelnut Crust two weeks ago only used two tablespoons, dairy was otherwise well represented, with cream cheese, goat cheese and sour cream.
Based on the classic Italian dish veal piccata, this chicken piccata recipe requires a rather modest half stick of butter, four tablespoons. And requires is the operative term here—the buttery richness plays beautifully against the tart brightness of the capers and lemons.
The lemons in question are Meyer lemons grown by fellow blogger Christina, whose A Thinking Stomach is loaded with useful information and thoughtful observations on gardening and food. These are not armchair tales. The stories all come from her own experiences in her bountiful Southern California garden. What comes through in Christina’s eloquent writings is her love of growing things as well as a clear-eyed recounting of just how much hard work is involved.
We’ve “known” Christina for at least seven years now, although we’ve never actually met or even spoken on the phone. This is the second time she’s generously shared her harvest with us, shipping us beautiful Meyer lemons she picked from her own trees. Thank you, Christina.
Meyer lemons are a hybrid of true lemons (either Lisbon or Eureka) and mandarin oranges. They’re popular as ornamental trees in California, having a compact shape, fragrant flowers and shiny, dark green leaves. Increasingly, though, chefs and home cooks are bringing their fruit into the kitchen. It is sweeter and less acidic than standard issue lemons, with a slight floral quality. The skins are thinner and may have a hint of orange color when ripe.
For this recipe, you can substitute regular lemons. But if at all possible, track down some Meyer lemons. They’ll deliver loads of bright, tangy kick with less mouth-puckering sourness.
The term piccata, when referring to Italian cooking, specifically means cooked, sauced or served with lemon and parsley (and often capers). Descriptively, it means “tasty, savory, spicy, piquant.” Veal piccata is probably the best known version, but chicken piccata is popular too. You can also use turkey or pork cutlets.
In all cases, the meat is sliced and/or pounded very thin, then dredged in flour and sautéed in butter or a mix of butter and oil. It is then topped with a lemon butter parsley caper sauce. Variations can include shallots, garlic, wine and paprika. However your piccata dish comes together, you’ll end up with something that tastes far too good to be so easy. When you serve it, be sure to eat the lemon slices—and encourage others to do so. You will be rewarded with citrusy bursts of wonderfulness. (Here is where the Meyer lemon’s thinner skin is a definite advantage.)
Chicken Piccata
Serves 2
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound total)
salt and freshly ground pepper
flour
4 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 Meyer lemon, thinly sliced (or a regular lemon)
1/4 cup capers, drained
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice (or, again, regular lemon)
Butterfly chicken breast halves (you’ll find a step-by-step guide here) and divide each into two thin fillets. Place fillets between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4-inch thickness. You can use the flat side of a meat tenderizer or the bottom of a skillet (work on top of a cutting board to protect your counter surface).
Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Heat a large skillet over medium flame and melt 2 tablespoons of butter with the olive oil, swirling to combine. Working in batches, brown chicken fillets, turning once, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm (you can also place it in a warm oven).
Add wine to pan and cook until reduced by half, scraping up any browned bits, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add stock and lemon slices to pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, 4 to 7 minutes. Add remaining butter, capers, parsley and lemon juice. Stir until butter is just melted and everything is combined. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve immediately.
I love Meyer lemons! We used to have a tree when we lived in Florida, and used them all the time. And this is one of my favorite dishes! I make it two or three different ways, and often substitute turkey cutlets for the chicken. It’s nice with olives, too, although I don’t often make it that way. Good photo — this is not the easiest dish to photograph, IMO.
I love every ingredient in the list. I think I could eat this every day and never get tired of it. Butterfest sounds heavenly 🙂
Capers? I’m so there. And it’s pretty, to boot.
John, given your gorgeous photography, that is high praise. Olives sound like a good alternative to throw in the mix. I’m also interested in trying pork. It plays so well with fruit in general.
Randi, there’s a reason piccata dishes are perennial favorites. As I was writing this post, I was absolutely salivating just from my memory of the taste.
Thanks, Altadenahiker! And we’re right there with you on capers. The first time we got a giant jar of capers from Costco (land of giant-sized everything), I feared we would never get through it. We actually go through them on a fairly regular basis.
Hi Terry. I have not made chicken or veal piccata since the demise of my favorite butcher of all time, Tony. I don’t know what his secret was, but it was impossible to make a bad dish with anything he sold. I think his secret was love. When he died shockingly young, the sidewalk in front of his shop was covered with bouquets, candles, etc. , a tribute to the rock star that he was. I am going to make chicken piccata for Tony this weekend.
There is just something about your writing and recipes that hits all my emotional and taste triggers. Thank you, and please keep on blogging.
This sounds divine and, as always, your photography is amazing!
Happy spring, Terry!
Jeri, your butcher Tony sounds like he was a great person and well loved. That you’re planning to cook something in his honor says a lot. And thank you for your kind words.
Thanks, Dani! Happy spring to you too. Regarding food photography, I’m glad so much of it has become very natural. Even when it’s styled like crazy, it’s usually done to make it seem imperfect and real. One trend I love seeing in food magazines is what I call wreckage—shots where the food has been dismantled or even partially eaten (this is done most often with desserts, especially slices of pie, it seems). I haven’t done this yet, but would like to explore it sometime.
Delicious looking chicken dish. I never thought about mixing capers with chicken. This looks like it really works. Excellent shot – thanks for sharing 🙂
Terry, I’ve been making versions of chicken piccata for my husband for more than 40 years. We always love the dish, but this one, was outstanding. The Meyer lemons made such a difference. We had never actually eaten the usual lemons in the dish. You enticed us to try, and wow! Simply outstanding. Starting with the best ingredients, including the chicken, and now the unusual lemons made this memorable. Thanks for sharing.
Alex, we love capers and look for any excuse to use them. We even chop them up and add them to tuna salad for a little extra zing.
Thanks, Barbara! Aren’t Meyer lemons wonderful?
Even with a lemon tree in our yard, at $2.99/lb, Meyer lemons were the way to go on this dish. Such beautiful thin skins! I’ll be repeating this while they’re in season.