Chicken piccata is the perfect dinner idea to add a flavorful twist to any mundane weeknight menu. The rich combination of butter and lemon flavors mixed together will transform your meal into a sumptuous experience for your entire family.
Why choose Chicken Piccata?
Chicken piccata is an excellent dinner recipe idea if you want to add an Italian twist to your dinner. It offers another delicious and flavorful option for when you decide to prepare chicken. It's a simple and straightforward recipe that will widen the options for when you need to prepare chicken meals for your family.
Ingredients needed for Chicken Piccata
chicken breast
salt and pepper to taste
Original Crabby Seasoning
vegetable oil
Original Flavor Garlic Butter Sauce
chicken broth
lemon
capers
Ingredient notes for Chicken Piccata
Chicken breast
The chicken breasts need to be skinless, boneless, and thinly sliced to get the best results when frying. You may find the directions for creating butterfly chicken breasts in the section below.
Seasoning
This chicken piccata recipe calls for a few simple seasonings. Salt and pepper are added to the chicken before dredging it, while the original Crabby Seasoning is added to the flour to give the coating a little extra flavor. You may also add onion and garlic slices to your list of seasonings. Just sauté them before adding the garlic butter sauce and chicken broth.
All-purpose flour
The all-purpose flour in this recipe is used for preparing a light coat before frying the chicken. Along with the Original Crabby Seasoning, you may add bread crumbs or other ingredients to make this chicken piccata dish uniquely yours.
Vegetable oil
This recipe calls for vegetable oil, which simply means you may already have a few options available in your pantry.
Original Flavor Garlic Butter Sauce
The base for the rich buttery garlic flavor for this chicken piccata recipe comes from the original flavor garlic butter sauce. This sauce is a time saver because it replaces the garlic, lemon juice, and butter in traditional chicken piccata recipes.
Chicken broth
To create the perfect sauce for your chicken piccata, use low-sodium chicken broth. You can use another broth or even a homemade one if you have it handy.
Lemon
The thinly sliced lemon in this recipe is optional. If you want to go all out with that tangy lemon flavor, then feel free to add them to your sauce.
Capers
Capers add a touch of color to the piccata dish along with awesome flavor. Drain and rinse your capers before adding them to the sauce for just the right balance of flavor.
How to cook chicken piccata?
Preparing and seasoning
Before seasoning your skinless, boneless chicken breasts, you'll need to butterfly them first to make sure they are not too thick and cook evenly. Follow the simple directions below to butterfly your chicken breasts.
How to butterfly your chicken breasts?
To create the butterfly, make sure you remove all the bones and skin from the chicken. Lay the chicken breast flat, place one hand firmly on top of the chicken breast while sticking your fingers upward. (This will ensure you don't cut yourself while slicing.) Using a sharp knife, start cutting the breast from one side and work your way in until you get to about half an inch from the other edge of the chicken. Lay the inner part of the chicken breast flat and press it firmly. And that's it! Your chicken breast transformed into a butterfly.
Season your butterfly chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place the flour and original Crabby Seasoning in a large Ziploc bag and give it a few shakes to blend the seasoning with the flour. Put the skillet on and add the vegetable oil in it while you dredge your chicken.
To dredge the chicken, place one to two pieces of chicken breast in the bag and let a little air in before you close it. Shake the closed bag a few times until the chicken breasts are covered lightly.
Frying
Shake off any excess flour from the chickens, then use a pair of tongs to carefully place them into the heated oil and fry them on both sides until they have a golden brown color. Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and place on a platter or plate lined with grease paper or paper towels. If needed, add a little more vegetable oil to the skillet. Add the next batch of chicken to the skillet and continue frying. Repeat this step until all the chicken breasts have been fried.
Sauce
Drain any excess oil from the pan, but be sure to keep those little bits of chicken. You'll need them for that extra kick of flavor. Add the garlic butter sauce to the skillet, then gradually stir in the broth followed by the lemon slices. Stir occasionally for about five minutes. Add the capers to the garlic butter sauce and simmer until the sauce thickens. Remove the skillet from heat and set aside.
Recipe tips for Chicken Piccata
Thicken sauce and reduce cooking time
If you want the sauce to reduce a little faster, you may gradually sift a little of the flour mixture into the skillet while stirring to prevent any lumps from forming. You may also use this tip if you want to make an additional batch of sauce for the next day or later in the week. Just use an extra portion of broth, then add the dredging to help with the thickening.
Crunchy Piccata chicken
If you like your chicken on the crunchy side, you may add the sauce to the chicken breast when you are serving it.
Chicken Piccata tip for busy moms
If you have picky eaters who don't like sauces, not adding the sauce to their serving will save you the hassle of having to prepare another protein dish for your little ones.
Extra juicy and tangy chicken piccata
On the other hand, if you want your chicken breast to soak up all that buttery and tangy goodness of the sauce, then you can add the chicken to the sauce a minute before removing the skillet from the heat or right after turning off the heat.
Serving ideas for Chicken Piccata
You may serve your chicken piccata with salad, garlic bread, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, spaghetti, rice, or any other side that you'd like to pair its rich flavors with.
You may try this easy-to-make garlic bread with your chicken piccata.