Diary of a Chef · Just Chefn Around

Chicken Piccata

30 minutes · 4 servings

By Diary of a Chef

Ingredients

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved into 4 cutlets
• to taste Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup flour, for dredging
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp butter, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1/4 cup capers, drained
• Fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. 1Sear

   Oil + 1 tbsp butter over medium-high until the butter's foam subsides. Cutlets in without crowding: golden and lightly crisped at the edges, releasing cleanly. Remove to a plate.

2. 2Garlic

   Into the fat, stirring — fragrant only, no color.

3. 3Deglaze

   Broth and lemon juice; scrape up the fond; add capers. Simmer until reduced by about a third — it should smell bright and buttery, taste bold (it seasons the chicken too).

4. 4Off heat, swirl in cold butter until glossy

   Off the boil, swirl in the remaining 2 tbsp cold butter until the sauce turns glossy and slightly thickened, coating a spoon — this is called mounting. Do not return it to a hard boil after.

5. 5Return the chicken

   Cutlets back in, spooning sauce over, just to warm through.

6. 6Finish

   Parsley over everything. Serve immediately — the sauce is at its silkiest right now.