Chicken Piccata – Buttery Lemon and Caper Sauce
A delicious and lively chicken dish with a zesty lemon and buttery creamy sauce with salty capers.
Equipment
- A large skillet pan
- A wide shallow bowl for dredging
- A sharp knife for cutting the chicken
- A cutting board or parchment paper for cutting the chicken
- A plate for resting the chicken
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 2 large chicken breasts - roughly 250g each
- 60 g cornflour or any other flour
- 60 g grated parmesan cheese
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 2 TBSP olive oil
FOR THE SAUCE
- 4 shallots – peeled and diced
- 400 mls chicken stock
- 2 large cloves garlic – finely chopped
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 3 TBSP capers
- 50 g butter
- 1 handful fresh parsley – chopped
Instructions
- Slice the chicken in half horizontally from top to bottom.
- Dredge the chicken - Place the flour, parmesan, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or dish and dredge the chicken pieces to coat on both sides.
- Cook the chicken on both sides to sear until golden – 4-5 mins on each side. Use tongs to remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate while you make the sauce.
- Make the sauce – add the diced shallots and butter to the pan used for the chicken and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften.
- Add the chopped garlic, chicken stock and lemon juice to the pan and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes until it starts to reduce.
- Return the cooked chicken to the pan, spooning the sauce over the chicken until coated and adding the capers to the sauce. Simmer over a medium heat for 10 minutes to heat through.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the fresh parsley and lemon wedges on top of and around the chicken.
Notes
As an alternative to using large, thick chicken breasts, you can substitute for smaller chicken breasts and flattening them to make them thinner by placing between parchment paper and bashing lightly with a rolling pin.
By using a combination of olive oil and butter to fry the chicken – it prevents the butter from burning, as well as adding delicious flavour!
The use of cornflour in this recipe is used to thicken the sauce rather than to give the chicken a crispy coating so don’t be alarmed if the flour doesn’t seem to stick to the chicken because it will all end up in the sauce and do the required job of thickening the sauce. If you want to make this recipe gluten free – please omit the flour but expect that the sauce will not be as thick or creamy. Or you can use arrowroot as a gluten-free alternative.
By using a combination of olive oil and butter to fry the chicken – it prevents the butter from burning, as well as adding delicious flavour!
The use of cornflour in this recipe is used to thicken the sauce rather than to give the chicken a crispy coating so don’t be alarmed if the flour doesn’t seem to stick to the chicken because it will all end up in the sauce and do the required job of thickening the sauce. If you want to make this recipe gluten free – please omit the flour but expect that the sauce will not be as thick or creamy. Or you can use arrowroot as a gluten-free alternative.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!