Chicken Piccata w Lemon Butter Caper Sauce (GF)

One of my favorite food preparations is piccata sauce. It is a lemon, butter, and caper sauce. Often found served with fried fish or pork, today I am making Chicken Piccata with Lemon Butter Caper Sauce. It is truly heavenly and I order it whenever I see it on the menu.

One of the first things you need to do when you make this recipe is to prepare the chicken. You cut each piece in half to create two pieces that are roughly the same thickness. To do this you lay the chicken on the cutting board and start on the fatter side, cutting horizontally lengthwise through the breast until you have two thinner pieces called cutlets. (See photos below.) Then you are ready to coat them in flour and fry them until golden brown. So yummy!

How to slide a chicken breast into two equal pieces, Be sure to start on the fatter edge!

Then, when the chicken is cooked, start the sauce. You use the same skillet you cooked the chicken in to get all that incredible flavor into the sauce. When you discard the oil in the pan, leave behind as much of the browned pieces as possible because they are so delicious!

The sauce is a butter-based emulsion and beautifully delectable. I recommend you use European-style butter if possible because the butter is so integral to the sauce; use the best type of butter you can afford!

I buy my butter in bulk when it is on sale and store it in the freezer. It lasts a really long time and I just bring down a box and thaw it in the refrigerator before using in baking or for cooking.

The recipe also calls for dry white wine. If you want to save money you can use dry vermouth – be sure it is the dry kind! And if you are avoiding alcohol, you can use a mild chicken stock instead. Just be sure it is gluten-free if you are on a GF diet.

If you haven’t worked with capers before, they are the buds of a plant originally from southern Europe that are pickled in a brine. They add tremendous flavor and texture to all the dishes you add them to, a bright tanginess and interest. They help cut through heavy foods creating a delightful brightness. Start with this recipe and find other recipe you can add them to!

I always recommend you use freshly squeezed lemon juice instead of jarred. It is so far superior and makes a huge difference in your dishes and baked goods. If you are juicing the fruit by hand, I recommend using a wooden citrus reamer. It has more texture than metal ones and seems to get more juice out. Be sure to strain the juice through a wire sieve or strainer to remove the seeds before using.

This sauce is wonderful on chicken like this recipe, but it is also good on seafood, veal, and pork! It is so flexible and once you know how to make it, you can upgrade any of your normal dinners to something very special!

I made saffron rice to go along with mine and since there are only two of us, it gave me a couple meals worth of side dishes. It is also perfect for absorbing the incredible sauce – you’ll want to capture every drop!

A bite on the fork, just ready to be enjoyed with the sauce!

I hope you give this dinner a try. It is one of my favorites and always a treat when I make it. Your family and guests will be suitably impressed when they take their first bites!

Tender chicken cutlets, fried and served with a magical lemon/butter sauce with capers is pure heaven. Today’s Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Butter, Caper Sauce is a dish that tastes like a pro chef made it and you can serve it to your family and guests with pride!

If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!

Ingredients needed for Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Butter, Caper Sauce:

• Chicken: chicken breasts, flour, salt, pepper, olive oil
• Sauce: shallots, garlic, white wine, chicken broth, capers, butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper
• Toppings/Accompaniments: lemon slices, chopped parsley or green onions, cooked pasta, rice, mashed potatoes or other starch

PRO Tip:

Capers are the bud of a plant originally from southern Europe that is harvested and pickled in a brine. They add brightness and tanginess to anything you add them to. In this recipe they elevate the creamy sauce to pure heaven in every bite!

How to make Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Butter, Caper Sauce:

1. Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally (cut along the thicker long side) to create two smaller cutlets. Place between plastic and pound lightly to slightly flatten them if needed.
2. Dredge the chicken in seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a large skillet and flour the chicken again if needed. Brown the chicken on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Keep warm in a low oven.
3. Remove most of the oil from the skillet and add the shallots, cooking about 5 minutes until lightly caramelizes, then add the garlic and cook, stirring 30 seconds. Pour in the wine and cook until reduced and the alcohol has cooked off, about 5 minutes. Then add the broth and cook until reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Add the capers and butter, and whisk continuously until you have a creamy, emulsified sauce. Whisk in the lemon juice and parsley, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Place your choice of warm sides on each serving plate and add a piece of the chicken. Set a lemon slice on each piece and pour sauce over the tops. Sprinkle with additional chopped parsley and/or green onions. Serve while hot.

PRO Tip:

Setting the cooked chicken on the wire rack in a baking sheet serves two purposes. First it helps keep the chicken crispy as you prepare the sauce. Secondly it keeps your kitchen much cleaner. If you want it even easier to clean, line the baking sheet with parchment paper before you set in the wire rack.

Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):

• Kitchen scale
• Chef’s knife
• Citrus reamer
• Large nonstick skillet
• Instant-read thermometer
• Silicone whisk

Gluten-Free Tips:

* You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of flour or regular flour, whisk it, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial gluten-free blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good gluten-free choices.

** My preferred brand of kosher salt is from Diamond Crystal. If you use Morton’s or another brand you will likely not need as much because they are saltier.

*** The major gluten-free organizations have declared that distilled alcohols are gluten free. Wine is also considered safe. For some very sensitive people wine may cause issues. In a few rare cases, wine makers may use barrels that have minute amounts of gluten in the caulk. If you have issues with wine, look for a winery that uses only stainless steel containers to age their wines.

You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. And use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

Continue to Content

Yield: about 4 servings

Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Butter, Caper Sauce (GF)

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Tender chicken breast cutlets, fried and served with a magical lemon/butter sauce with capers is pure heaven. The pop of the capers is addicting and the butter and lemon highlight the chicken beautifully. This is a dish that tastes like a pro chef made it and you can serve it to your family and guests with pride!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb; 454g), each sliced horizontally in half through the long edge to create four thinner cutlets (pound flatter if needed)
• 1/2 cup (60g*) gluten-free all-purpose flour blend* or regular all-purpose flour like Gold Medal
• 1 tbsp kosher salt** or to taste
• 1/2 tbsp large grind or cracked black pepper, or to taste
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying, or as needed

Sauce

• 2 tbsp finely minced shallots
• 1 clove garlic, sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) dry white wine***, dry vermouth***, or gluten-free chicken broth
• 1 cup gluten-free chicken broth
• 3 to 4 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
• 5 tbsp butter, sliced
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 lemon); strain out seeds
• Kosher salt** and pepper, to taste

Topping/Accompaniments

• 4 lemon slices, seeds removed
• 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley or finely sliced green onions
• Hot cooked pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, or other starch, if you like

Instructions

1. Have everything ready to go before you start cooking the chicken. Set out a parchment-lined baking sheet pan with a wire rack set inside it. Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C).

2. Prep the Chicken: If the chicken is large, set one piece on a cutting board and working from the fatter side, slice each one in half horizontally to create two thinner pieces. If needed, set each piece of chicken between two sheets from a plastic zip-top bag and pound them lightly to flatten the thicker end.

3. Combine the flour, kosher salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish or pie plate. Dredge (coat) both sides of the chicken pieces in the flour mixture thoroughly, shake off excess flour, and set aside on another plate. Keep the extra seasoned flour handy, you will probably re-flour the chicken pieces before frying.

4. Fry the Chicken: Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, to about 375°F (191°C) (check with your instant-read thermometer). Re-flour the chicken if needed and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown, turning them with tongs so you don’t pierce the meat. When an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F (71°C) in the center, they are done. Set them on the wire rack placed in the sheet pan and keep warm in the low 200°F (93°C) oven.

5. Make the Sauce: Remove all but 1 tbsp of the oil from the pan. Add the shallots and cook, stirring nearly constantly, (adding a touch of butter if necessary) until soft and lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the wine and boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to cook off the alcohol and reduce the liquid; stir in the stock and cook until reduced by about half, about 7 minutes. Add the capers and butter, whisking constantly until the butter has melted. Lower the heat to medium and keep whisking until it is reduced to a creamy, emulsified sauce. Whisk in the lemon juice and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

6. Finish the Dish: Add a piece of the warm chicken to a plate with a vegetable and your choice of hot cooked pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, etc. if desired, to enjoy all the luscious sauce. Place a lemon slice on top of each piece of chicken. Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with chopped parsley or sliced green onions and serve immediately.

Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com

Notes

* You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good gluten-free choices.

** My preferred brand of kosher salt is from Diamond Crystal. If you use Morton’s or another brand you will likely not need as much because they are saltier.

*** The major gluten-free organizations have declared that distilled alcohols are gluten free. Wine is also considered safe. For some very sensitive people wine may cause issues. In a few rare cases, wine makers may use barrels that have minute amounts of gluten in the caulk. If you have issues with wine, look for a winery that uses only stainless steel containers to age their wines.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

Adapted from recipes on Serious Eats and Red Shallot Kitchen

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 380Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 10gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 2014mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 4gSugar: 4gProtein: 6g

The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.

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