Chicken Piccata is SERIOUSLY delicious, you guys. Acidic, tart, buttery, and savory, this dish has it going on! Say it with me. Piccata!!! Yeah, it sounds fancy, and it tastes kind of fancy, but honestly, it's not that fancy. In fact, it's insanely easy. And when you're done? You'll have an impressive, tasty and healthy(ish) dish for you and your romantic date or your next relaxed family dinner. It's so good, my 7 year old asks for it. Yeah, I'm not kidding.
All you need are a few simple ingredients, including boneless, skinless chicken breasts, all-purpose flour, parsley, a couple tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper, lemons, capers and your favorite tart and slightly sweet white wine. (Full recipe at the bottom.)
When the forces of these ingredients combine, your mouth, and everyone else's mouth that's lucky enough to try it, will thank you for it. Let me show you just how easy and delicious Chicken Picatta can be!
Step one, rinse your chicken, and pat dry. Then, take some plastic wrap or parchment paper and sandwich your chicken. Using a meat tenderizer, mallet or hammer, or something like a rolling pin, pound your chicken until they're about 1/4" thick. I like to cut my chicken in half at this point.
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Now, get a large pan on med-hi heat, and melt 1 tbsp - 1.5 tbsp of butter.
When it's nice and melted, dredge 1/2 of your chicken in the flour, and then place in the heated and buttery pan.
Cook the chicken for 2 minutes on the first side, and about 1 or 2 minutes for the other.
I know what you're going to say. But KATIE! Chicken needs to cook forever!!! WRONG. Not when it's 1/4" thick! It only needs a little bit of time to cook all the way through. Quick and easy. Just make sure the chicken has browned nicely.
Remove the chicken from the pan, add another tablespoon of butter and then the rest of the chicken. Do the same thing.
Once all the chicken has been cooked and removed, add the wine to the pan, and bring to a boil. Use a whisk or a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan free of all the tasty bits that have stuck.
I chose to use a Hess Select chardonnay, because it's sweet, robust, acidic, and pairs perfectly with the sweet, sour and tart flavors of the piccata. The oakiness added a bit of depth that really rounded out the dish. The Hess Select chardonnay truly elevated this dish.
After a minute, the liquid will have reduced. Add in the chicken broth.
Bring to a boil. Cook another minute or so, then stir in the juice and capers, and a little of the parsley right there at the end, for a bit of freshness. Pour over chicken and garnish with the fresh parsley.
Boom. Done. Easy. And gorgeous, isn't it? Simply gorgeous. And look at how impressive it looks! You'll seriously amaze anyone you prepare it for. Or whomever you show pictures to.
And that Hess Select wine was the perfect pair for the meal. Serve whatever wine you choose to cook with at dinner. It'll pair beautifully with the dish, because, duh... You cooked with it too. Make sure you use a delicious wine in cooking, not some cheap, throw-away wine. Why? Because after the alcohol cooks off, you're left with the flavor, so seriously, pick a good wine. Don't use a yucky wine to cook with because you'll be left with yucky flavor. That's how it works. You're welcome.
Let me know if you make this dish! I'd love to hear how it turns out. Don't forget to get in your kitchen, whip up something great and slow down and savor!
Chicken Piccata is SERIOUSLY delicious, you guys. Acidic, tart, buttery, and savory, this dish has it going on! Say it with me. Piccata!!! Yeah, it sounds fancy, and it tastes kind of fancy, but honestly, it's not that fancy. In fact, it's insanely easy. And when you're done? You'll have an impressive, tasty and healthy(ish) dish for you and your romantic date or your next relaxed family dinner.