Chicken Piccata (Pan-Fried with Lemon Butter Sauce)
Crisp pan-fried chicken breast topped with a tangy lemon butter sauce. It’s easy to make, has lots of fresh lemon-y flavor, and is absolutely delicious! Add a side of garlic mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice, and you have the perfect weeknight meal.
Ingredients
For Pan-Frying the Chicken
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- ½ Tbsp water
- ¾ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for pan-frying)
For the Lemon Butter Sauce
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot, peeled and diced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- 1 Tbsp capers (optional)
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled
Instructions
Pan-Frying the Chicken
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a flat dish with edges (e.g., pie plate), pour in flour.½ cup all-purpose flour
- In a second flat dish, whisk together eggs and water.2 large eggs½ Tbsp water
- In a third flat dish, pour in breadcrumbs.¾ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- Butterfly the chicken breasts by slicing them horizontally almost all the way through. With a meat mallet (or any heavy object), pound out chicken breasts to ½” thickness.2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of chicken breasts.½ tsp kosher salt¼ tsp ground black pepper
- Submerge each chicken breast, one a time, first in flour, next in egg mixture, then in breadcrumbs.
- Set a frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
- Pan-fry first chicken breast in hot oil until golden brown (about 2 minutes on each side). Note: chicken will not yet be fully cooked.
- Remove chicken breast from pan and set onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- For second (and any subsequent) chicken breast, add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and repeat steps 9 and 10.
- Place all chicken breasts (on sheet pan) into preheated oven and bake until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (about 15 minutes).
- When fully cooked, remove chicken breasts from oven. Set aside and allow them to rest for a few minutes.
Preparing the Lemon Butter Sauce
- Meanwhile, clean out frying pan for lemon butter sauce.
- Reduce stovetop heat to medium and set pan over heat. When hot, add in olive oil and butter. Heat until butter foaming subsides.1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- Add in shallots. Cook shallots in hot oil and butter until they have softened slightly (about 1 to 2 minutes).1 large shallot, peeled and diced
- Add in white wine, chicken stock, and salt. Increase stovetop heat to medium-high and bring liquid to a boil.½ cup dry white wine½ cup low-sodium chicken stock¼ tsp kosher salt
- Continue boiling liquid until it has reduced by about half (about 5 minutes).
- Add in lemon juice and capers, and continue boiling until sauce thickens (about 3 to 5 minutes more).¼ cup lemon juice1 Tbsp capers
- Remove pan from heat. Add in cold butter and gently stir it into the sauce.2 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled
- Pour sauce over fried chicken and serve hot.
Notes
- If making more than 2 breasts, you may find that crumbs accumulate and burn in the pan. So, after each set of 2, I suggest wiping out darkened breadcrumbs with kitchen paper towel and reheat pan and continue on.
- While adding butter to sauce, you may see it start to separate if the pan is too hot. If this happens, let the sauce cool for a couple of minutes, then stir in an additional 1 to 2 Tablespoons of butter.
Nutrition
Calories: 1039kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 68g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 383mg | Sodium: 1955mg | Potassium: 1256mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 962IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 149mg | Iron: 6mg