Lemon, butter, capers, and white wine over crisp-edged cutlets — piccata is the pan-sauce lesson wearing its Sunday best.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
4
4
🍗 Chicken Breast ›
butterflied and pounded thin
80 g
🌾 Flour ›
120 ml
🥂 White Wine ›
150 ml
🍲 Chicken Stock ›
2
🍋 Lemon ›
one juiced, one in thin wheels
3 tbsp
🫒 Capers ›
rinsed
4 tbsp
🧈 Butter ›
2 tbsp
🫒 Olive Oil ›
1 handful
🌿 Parsley ›
Add all to shopping list
Mise en place
Before you start
15m
Prep
15m
Cook
30m
Total
4
Serves
Equipment
Large skillet
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Prep checklist
Chicken Breast — butterflied and pounded thin
Lemon — one juiced, one in thin wheels
Capers — rinsed
3 steps
Method
1
Dredge seasoned cutlets in flour; brown in oil over medium-high, 3 minutes a side, in batches. Remove.
2
Deglaze with wine, scraping, and reduce by half, 2 minutes. Add stock, lemon juice, capers, and the lemon wheels; simmer 3 minutes.
3
Off the heat, whisk in the butter until the sauce turns glossy. Return the chicken for a minute, shower with parsley.
💡
The lemon wheels aren't garnish — they braise briefly and their bittersweet peel is piccata's signature.
Learn the technique ›
From the chef
Notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of water.
Freezing
Freezes well up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating
Reheat gently: covered in a 160°C oven for 15 minutes, or in a pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock. The microwave works at 50% power in short bursts — full blast toughens proteins.
Make ahead
Most braises and sauces improve overnight. Sear-and-serve dishes: do every step up to the final cook, then finish fresh.
Wine pairing
Match the weight of the dish — ask the AI Chef for a specific bottle.
Beer pairing
Match intensity: lagers for delicate dishes, amber ales for roasted flavors, stouts for the rich and braised.
On the plate
Serve it with
Sides
·
Angel hair pasta
·
Steamed asparagus
·
Bread for the sauce
Garnish
Fresh herbs added off the heat
A squeeze of lemon
Flaky salt
Taste map
Flavor profile
Sweet
Salty
Sour
Bitter
Umami
Heat
Per serving
Nutrition
460
kcal
40g
protein
16g
carbs
25g
fat
3g
fiber
520mg
sodium
Asked and answered
FAQ
How do I know chicken is done?
An instant-read thermometer says 74°C at the thickest point, touching no bone. Visual backup: juices run clear, and the meat at the bone is no longer pink. Breasts get dry past 74°C; thighs actually improve up to 85°C as their collagen melts.
When it goes sideways
Troubleshooting
Dry, stringy breast meat. It overshot 74°C. Pull at 71–72°C and rest 5 minutes (carryover finishes it), pound to even thickness before cooking, or switch to forgiving thighs.