Classic Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata – chicken breast cutlets that are browned and then served in a butter, lemon, and caper sauce – is an Italian-American favorite that also makes for an outstanding weeknight meal. In my home, we refer to it as “restaurant chicken” and make it all the time.

Traditionally, the chicken in piccata is coated with flour before sautéing, but this lightened-up version forgoes coating the chicken with flour to reduce the carb count. That said, I promise you won’t miss it here, since this dish is so succulently flavorful and fantastic.

Recipe Details: Low-Carb Classic Chicken Piccata

From Catherine Newman

Active time: 25 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

Total carbohydrates: 3 grams per serving

Recipe Note

If you can find them, feel free to start with boneless, skinless chicken cutlets, which are chicken breasts that have been sliced off into thinner pieces.

Ingredients

• 1 package (about 1-1/2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of any extra fat
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (the juice of about 1-1/2 lemons)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup capers, drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Make chicken cutlets: Place each chicken breast  on a cutting board, put your non-cutting hand flat on top of it, and cut it carefully across the middle, with the knife blade parallel to the cutting board.
2. Pound the cutlets: Cover the cutlets with plastic wrap or parchment paper and pound them briefly with a meat pounder (a rolling pin or frying pan will work, too) until they’re about 1/4-inch thick and evenly flattened. Blot the chicken dry with a paper towel, and salt it well on both sides.
3. Heat a large heat pan over medium-high heat, then add the olive oil and butter. Once the pan is sizzling, add the chicken to the pan in one layer. Sauté all the chicken pieces (in batches, if necessary) until deeply browned and cooked through, around 3 minutes per side for each cutlet, transferring the chicken to a serving dish.
4. Add the lemon juice and chicken broth to the pan and simmer, using a spatula to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until shiny and glazed, around 4-5 minutes.. Add the capers to the sauce, return the chicken cutlets to the pan to reheat for a minute or two. Serve on a platter, or straight out of the pan or platter, garnished with parsley.

Photo credit: Catherine Newman