Chicken Piccata (Chicken Cutlets With Lemon Pan Sauce)
This is a delicious, quick-cooking chicken piccata recipe that’s perfect for a weeknight meal. Thin chicken cutlets brown quickly in a hot pan, then you build a proper pan sauce from the fond in the pan with lemon, broth, and cold butter whisked in to finish. The technique is straightforward, foolproof, and ready in 25 minutes.
Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4
When I need a reliable weeknight dinner that still feel special, this is one of my first choices. The pan sauce technique works across dozens of proteins, but chicken cutlets remain my most frequently used. They’re quick, affordable, and respond well to this cooking method.
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Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Thin cutlets cook fast and evenly.
- The flour coating helps browning and slightly thickens the pan sauce.
- Deglazing captures all the flavorful browned bits stuck to the pan.
- Cold butter whisked in at the end creates a restaurant-style sauce without cream or complicated techniques.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken breast cutlets: Thin cuts cook quickly and evenly. If you can’t find pre-cut cutlets, slice regular chicken breasts horizontally and then pound them evenly to ½-inch thickness. Make sure the cuts are evenly thick.
- All-purpose flour: Creates a light coating that helps the chicken brown and adds body to the pan sauce. Don’t skip this step.
- Grated parmesan (optional): Parm adds extra crispiness. Try piccata once with it and then add Parmesan for another meal.
- Chicken broth: Deglazes the pan and forms the base of your sauce. Use good-quality broth—it makes a difference in a simple sauce like this.
- Fresh lemon juice: Brightens the rich butter sauce and cuts through the heaviness. Use fresh, not bottled, if possible.
- Cold butter: Whisked in at the end to create a silky, emulsified sauce. Cold butter is key as it creates the right texture instead of just melting into oil.
- Capers (optional): Adds a briny, sophisticated note that elevates the dish.
- Garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley: The supporting cast that rounds out the flavors.
Do Not Rinse
Raw chicken is ready to cook and doesn’t need washing. There is too much risk in contaminating other surfaces or foods with Campylobacter, Salmonella, or Clostridium perfringens bacteria. (source: CDC)
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts horizontally into thin (1/2 inch) sections. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the cut sections. Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken breasts into evenly thick cutlets.
- Lightly dredge the cutlets in seasonings and flour. Shake off any excess flour.
- Sear the chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add cutlets without crowding. Sear 3-4 minutes per side until golden, then transfer to a plate.
- Build the sauce: Lower heat to medium. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Deglaze with broth and lemon juice, scraping the fond. Reduce by half, about 2-3 minutes.
- Finish and serve: Off heat, whisk in cold butter until the sauce emulsifies. Add capers if using. Return chicken to pan, coat with sauce, and garnish with parsley.
To cut your chicken breasts more easily, freeze them for about 15 minutes. The firmness of the breasts will help with cutting. Don’t freeze for longer. Make sure they are completely thawed before continuing.
Key Tips
➤ Even thickness matters: Uneven cutlets cook at different rates. Pound thicker spots to be evenly thick with thinner areas.
➤ Don’t skip drying: Wet chicken won’t brown properly. Pat bone-dry with paper towels.
➤ High heat, quick cooking: The goal is a golden crust before the inside overcooks. Don’t move the chicken around so they brown nicely.
➤ Cold butter for silky sauce: Adding cold butter off-heat emulsifies the sauce, making it creamy and glossy instead of oily.
What to Serve With Chicken Piccata
- Rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes (the sauce is excellent over all three)
- Roasted vegetables, green beans, or a simple salad
- Crusty bread for soaking up extra sauce
Storing
Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a covered skillet with a splash of broth to prevent drying. The sauce may separate slightly when reheated—whisk in a small pat of butter to bring it back together.
Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves 1-1/2 pounds total or 4-8 chicken cutlets
- ½ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese optional
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup chicken stock or dry white wine (such as a Sauvignon Blanc)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup jarred capers
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley optional
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breast halves horizontally, butterflying them open. Place the cutlets between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them with a meat hammer to 1/2-inches evenly thick.
- Combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Stir in the parmesan, if using. Dredge the cutlets thoroughly in the flour mixture until well coated. Shake off any excess flour.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add half of the chicken pieces, cooking in batches if necessary, so the pieces aren't crowded. Cook 6 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking, until browned well on each side. Transfer the cutlets to a plate; keep warm.
- Add the chicken stock and lemon juice, scraping up the browned bits fron the bottom of the skillet. Add the capers. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce is reduced by half.
- Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Transfer the cutlets to serving plates. Serve with the sauce poured over the top. Plate the chicken and serve with the sauce poured over the chicken. Garnish with parsley, if using.
Cooks Tips
- Freezing the chicken breasts for 15 minutes will make slicing them through the middle easier.
