Description
An Italian classic with a winter citrus twist! Thinly sliced chicken cutlets are lightly breaded & pan-fried until totally golden brown & perfectly juicy. A simple chicken piccata sauce made with white wine, Meyer lemon juice, garlic, & capers adds a beautiful burst of winter citrus brightness. Serve this Meyer lemon chicken piccata with pasta, mashed potatoes, or a simple salad for a seriously delicious & special dinner that comes together quickly & easily.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3–4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons capers, drained & roughly chopped
- 2 Meyer lemons, juiced (about 1/3 cup juice)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Prep: Once you get cooking, chicken piccata is the type of dish that comes together really quickly. Take a few minutes before you get started to get everything measured, chopped & prepped, making cooking a really smooth, easy, & fun process. To prep: roughly chop the garlic & capers, slice the unsalted butter into 1-tablespoon pieces & prep the wet ingredients by squeezing the Meyer lemon juice into a liquid measuring cup & pouring the wine into the same measuring cup – the total liquid should measure between 3/4 & 1 cup. Set aside, within an arm’s reach of the stove for easy, streamlined cooking.
- Cut & pound the chicken into cutlets: Carefully butterfly each chicken breast, slicing it in half lengthwise. Use a meat mallet to lightly pound each piece of chicken into uniform thickness. There’s no need to go crazy here – just pound out the thickest part of the piece of chicken so it’s about the same thickness as the rest. If you don’t have a meat tenderizer, you can drape a piece of wax paper over the chicken & pound it out using a rolling pin.
- Dredge the chicken: Season the chicken liberally with 2 teaspoons kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Place the flour on a large plate or shallow bowl. Working one by one, place the chicken into the flour, coating it with a light dusting. Shake off excess flour & set aside.
- Brown the chicken: Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, carefully add in the breaded chicken. Cook 3-4 minutes per side, until the chicken is golden brown & cooked through. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate & set aside.
- Make the Meyer lemon pan sauce: Add the chopped garlic & capers to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. While stirring constantly, carefully pour the Meyer lemon juice & wine into the skillet. The lemon juice & wine will sizzle as soon as it hits the hot skillet. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits that may have formed on the pan. Once the sauce begins to bubble vigorously, add the pieces of butter to the skillet one by one, stirring constantly to combine into a smooth, creamy sauce. As the butter melts, the sauce will thicken & take on a beautiful glossy sheen.
- Serve immediately, drizzling the Meyer lemon sauce over the chicken cutlets. We love Meyer lemon chicken piccata served with some long thin pasta or with our favorite roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ingredient Notes:
- Meyer lemon substitute: Meyer lemons are like a cross between a conventional lemon & an orange or tangerine – they are slightly floral, with a slightly sweeter flavor than a conventional lemon. If you cannot find Meyer lemons, feel free to replace the Meyer lemon juice with the juice of 1 conventional lemon (about 2-3 tablespoons), increasing the amount of white wine to about 2/3 cup.
- Gluten-free chicken piccata: Swap the all-purpose flour with your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour to easily make this chicken piccata recipe totally gluten-free.
- Storage & Reheating: While chicken piccata is best served fresh, leftovers will keep stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
- 10-Minute Meal Prep: While this Meyer lemon chicken piccata is a quick recipe, you can eliminate nearly all of the active prep time involved by prepping the chicken ahead of time. To prep, pound out the chicken according to Step 2, above. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. At dinnertime, all you have to do is dredge & cook – easy!