Easy Lemon Chicken Piccata Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is chicken piccata sauce made of? ›

What Is Chicken Piccata? Chicken piccata is nothing more than chicken breast cutlets, dredged in flour, browned, and served with a sauce of butter, lemon juice, capers, and either stock or white wine.

I also found the whole lemon slices included in many traditional recipes left my sauce with a bitter aftertaste from the lemon's pith. To avoid this, but maintain the acidic brightness this dish depends on, I added a bit of white wine to the sauce instead of lemon slices.

For the sauce, use a dry Italian white wine such as Pinot Grigio or Vermentino and have it ready to pour into the pan the minute the garlic turns golden so that nothing burns.

Sauvignon Blanc is known for pairing well with green herbs and vegetables, so it's an especially good pairing when the piccata is garnished more than usual.

Taste and add any salt or additional lemon juice to your preferences. 9 If you would like a thicker sauce, in a small dish mix 1 1⁄2 teaspoons cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) with 11⁄2 teaspoons water. Add mixture to sauté pan while it is still on the heat and mix to combine.

When cooking savory dishes, lime juice and orange juice make a good substitute for lemon juice. Replace the lemon juice with lime juice in equal amounts (e.g. 1 teaspoon for 1 teaspoon). Or, you could substitute the lemon juice with half as much white wine or white vinegar.

Capers are the pickled unopened flower buds of the plant Capparis spinosa. Capers are used in many Mediterranean dishes and traditionally served with lox.

Broth. Chicken or vegetable broth can be a flavorful replacement for white wine. You can even swap it in equal amounts (go for low-sodium broth so your dish doesn't end up too salty). Just keep in mind that broth won't add any acidity, so you might want to add a touch of white vinegar to achieve a similar tang.

The best thing to reach for is a dash of quality white wine vinegar mixed with chicken or vegetable stock. The rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon of vinegar per 1 cup of stock. For this chicken piccata, that would be 1/2 cup stock mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar.

What is the difference between pinot grigio and Sauvignon Blanc? ›

Pinot Grigio vs Sauvignon Blanc: Tasting Notes

Pinot Grigio is usually softer, more subtle, and smooth, making it popular with wine drinkers beginning their explorations. Conversely, a bright, zesty glass of Sauvignon Blanc can be bold, yet can have very subtle nuances of flavor.

In addition to Sauvignon Blanc, other white wines with similar characteristics can also complement chicken picatta wonderfully. Look for wines such as Pinot Grigio, Vermentino, or Albariño, all of which boast crisp acidity and citrusy flavors that marry well with the dish's bold, bright flavors.

There are a myriad of great choices but we tend to favor pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. These lighter-style wines will bring out the flavor of your dish without overwhelming it. Avoid robust and oaky white wines like chardonnay. Once the food is cooked, the oak-influence may cause your dish to taste bitter.

While both chicken piccata and chicken Marsala are cooked in the same way, there are a few key differences between the two dishes. Chicken piccata isn't creamy. It's cooked with white wine, chicken broth, capers, and lemon juice. It's tangy and bright instead of rich and creamy.

Chicken Piccata is a quick dinner comprised of a crispy pan seared chicken breast with a Lemon Butter Caper Sauce. This chicken has a bright, lemony sauce that's just on the right side of tangy. It's incredibly easy and amazingly tasty!

Scaloppine dishes are some of the most quintessential everyday secondi piatti in the Italian repertoire. Thin slices of meat are lightly floured then quickly sautéed in a skillet, which is deglazed with wine to form a quick and tasty sauce.

Piccata, though, is an Italian word meaning larded. It seems to be a translation of the French word pique (sharp, as in piquant). When used in a reference to a way of preparing food (particularly meat or fish) it means sliced and sauteed in a sauce containing lemon, butter, and spices.