Description
Barefoot Contessa’s Chicken Piccata delivers classic Italian-American comfort with zesty lemon and capers. Delicate chicken cutlets sparkle with tangy sauce, promising restaurant-quality flavor right from your kitchen.
Ingredients
Scale
Proteins:
- 2 split boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 whole chicken breast)
- 1 extra-large egg
Dry Ingredients:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Liquids and Garnishes:
- ½ tablespoon water
- Olive oil (for cooking)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- Lemon slices (for serving)
- Chopped fresh parsley (for serving)
Instructions
- Prepare the oven and baking surface by heating to 400°F (200°C) and lining a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Tenderize chicken breasts between parchment paper, flattening to 1/4-inch thickness. Season both sides generously with salt and black pepper.
- Create three separate dredging stations: first with seasoned flour, second with beaten egg and water mixture, and third with bread crumbs.
- Carefully coat each chicken breast by first dredging in flour, removing excess, then dipping in egg wash, and finally covering completely with bread crumbs.
- Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low temperature. Sear chicken breasts for 2 minutes per side until golden brown, then transfer to prepared sheet pan.
- Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes, ensuring internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) for fully cooked meat.
- Clean the sauté pan and melt butter over medium heat. Add lemon juice, white wine, reserved lemon halves, salt, and pepper.
- Reduce sauce by boiling on high heat for approximately 2 minutes until volume is halved. Remove from heat and incorporate remaining butter for richness.
- Plate the chicken, discarding lemon halves from sauce. Drizzle sauce over each breast, garnish with fresh lemon slice and chopped parsley.
Notes
- Gently pound chicken breasts to a uniform 1/4-inch thickness, guaranteeing even cooking and maintaining tender, succulent meat throughout.
- Squeeze fresh lemons to extract vibrant, zesty juice that elevates the sauce’s flavor profile, avoiding dull bottled alternatives that lack brightness.
- Create space between chicken pieces while sautéing, allowing each cutlet to develop a golden, crispy exterior without steaming in crowded conditions.
- Simmer sauce until it reduces by half, transforming liquid into a rich, concentrated blend that clings beautifully to the perfectly cooked chicken.
- Give baked chicken a brief moment to rest before serving, letting juices redistribute and ensuring each bite remains incredibly moist and delectable.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 537.5
- Sugar: 1.5g
- Sodium: 240.0mg
- Fat: 22.0g
- Saturated Fat: 8.9g
- Carbohydrates: 38.5g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 31.5g
- Cholesterol: 65.0mg