Chicken Piccata
Chicken piccata is a traditional Italian dish made of chicken breast scaloppine (cutlets), capers, lemon, and white wine. The term piccata is also used for an Italian dish traditionally made with veal.
A chicken breast used to prepare chicken piccata is usually butterflied, or sliced along its width, and then flattened either with a tenderizer or between two pieces of wax paper (preferred). It is then seasoned and dredged in flour before being browned on both sides in butter or olive oil. The sauce is made using the pan drippings. White wine is added to the pan and reduced. Shallots or garlic can be added with the capers and slices of lemon. When reduced, butter is stirred in to finish the sauce. It is usually served with polenta, but sometimes with pasta, such as angel hair.
The same technique can be used to make Fish Piccata. Use thin boneless, skinless white-fleshed fish fillets, about 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick, such as flounder, scrod, haddock, or branzino.
Chicken Piccata
from https://www.seriouseats.com/
Chicken piccata takes a beloved food—pan-fried chicken cutlets—and tops it with a simple but luxurious lemon-butter pan sauce. The result is a flavor and texture festival that blends crispness, juiciness, richness, and tartness all into one.
1 cup all-purpose flour (5 ounces; 140g)
3 large eggs, beaten
2 cups panko bread crumbs (4 ounces; 115g), roughly crushed by hand if very large
2 ounces (60g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
8 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (3 or 4 ounces each), pounded to about 1/4 inch thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying
1/2 cup dry white wine (120ml)
1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers (15g)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter (70g)
2 tablespoons fresh juice from 1 lemon (30ml)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
Set three wide, shallow bowls on a work surface. Add flour to the first one, beaten eggs to the second, and panko and Parmesan cheese to the third. Mix panko and Parmesan thoroughly.
Line a rimmed baking dish with parchment paper. Season chicken cutlets all over with salt and pepper. Working with one at a time, dredge a cutlet in flour with your left hand, shaking off excess. Transfer to egg dish, then turn cutlet with your right hand to coat both sides. Lift and allow excess egg to drain off, then transfer to bread crumb mixture. With your left hand, scoop bread crumbs on top of chicken, then gently press, turning chicken to ensure a good layer of crumbs on both sides. Transfer cutlet to prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining cutlets.
Fill a large skillet with 1/4 inch oil. Heat over high heat until shimmering and just shy of smoking, about 375°F on an instant-read thermometer.
Working in batches and using tongs or your fingers, gently lower cutlets into the pan, laying them down away from you to prevent hot fat from splashing toward you. Fry, gently swirling pan and rotating cutlets for even browning, and adjusting heat as necessary for a steady, vigorous bubble, until bottom side is browned and crisp, about three minutes. Flip cutlets and fry until other side is browned and crisp, about three minutes longer. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt right away. Repeat with remaining cutlets, topping up oil if necessary.
Drain all but one tablespoon oil from skillet. Add wine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cooking until raw alcohol smell has mostly cooked off, about two minutes. Add capers and butter, whisking constantly, until butter has melted. Lower heat to medium and continue whisking and reducing until a creamy, emulsified sauce forms (the time this takes will depend on your burner power and the size of your pan). If sauce over-reduces and breaks at any point, add one tablespoon cold water and whisk to emulsify it again. Whisk in lemon juice and parsley, season with salt and pepper, and remove from heat.
Arrange cutlets on a platter and drizzle warm butter sauce all over. Serve right away.
Serves 4
Chicken Piccata
Faith: Add the lemon juice a little bit at a time. When we made this, it was too lemony.
4 chicken breasts (2 whole breasts), pounded thin
Flour, salt and pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons brined capers, rinsed
3 1/2 tablespoons of butter
salt and pepper to taste
parsley sprigs for garnish
lemon slices for garnish
Dredge each pounded chicken breast in flour seasoned with salt and pepper to coat and shake off excess.
Heat oil in a large saute pan set on medium heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons butter.
Place chicken breasts in pan and cook until lightly browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes for each side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Deglaze the pan with wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock, lemon juice and capers and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Whisk in the remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons of butter. When the butter has melted, return the chicken cutlets to the pan and cook until heated through and the sauce has thickened, about 1 minute. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon slices and serve immediately.
Serves 4
