Chicken Piccata

March 18, 2012 · 21 comments

I realize I’m dating myself a little here (and giving you a glimpse into my maturity level), but whenever I hear the word Piccata, I can’t help but lift my shirt over my head, raise my hands in the air and quote the great philosopher Beavis: “I am Cornholio, I need Piccata for my bung-hole!”.

That along with a bad Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine Chicken Piccata experience, and it’s no surprise, that it hasn’t been high on my list of dishes to post. Thankfully, you guys are awesome and send me dishes you want to learn how to make.

I was feeling a bit uninspired at the time, and started scanning through my list of reader requests. After a long winter of braised and stewed dishes, a quick chicken dish with the bright sunny flavors of lemon and capers sounded perfect.

Capers, parsley and lemon zest for sauce

Turn this into a gluten-free chicken piccata by swapping the flour out for potato starch or rice flour. I also think this would be fantastic dusted with corn meal

After I took the photos for this post I found a ripe avocado that needed to be eaten. It turns out that Chicken Piccata is fantastic with some sliced avocado on top. The creamy avocado balances out the savory chicken and tart sauce perfectly.

Finally, if there’s something you want to learn how to make, send me a note, and I’ll add it to the list of requests. I can’t guarantee I’ll get to it anytime soon, but leave a real email address and I’ll let you know when I get to it.

Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata

By marc Published: March 18, 2012

  • Yield: 4 pieces of chicken (2-3 Servings)
  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 15 mins
  • Ready In: 25 mins

Thin chicken cutlets fried until golden brown and draped in a fresh tangy lemon and caper sauce.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Use a sharp knife to slice the chicken breast in half. You should end up with two thin fillets that are mirror images of each other. If you don't have a sharp knife or aren't too confident with your knife skills, you can also put the breast in a large Ziploc bag and pound with a mallet until it's about 1/2" thick.
    Thinly sliced chicken breast for Chicken Piccata
  2. Put the flour in a shallow bowl. Generously salt and pepper the chicken then, then dredge it in the flour to give it a light coating. Hold the chicken in the air and tap it a few times with your other hand to dust off excess flour.
    Chicken ready to fry
  3. Add the oil to a frying pan and heat over medium heat until the oil shimmers and is hot, but not smoking. Place two pieces of the chicken in the pan and fry undisturbed until you start seeing the edges start turning a tan color (about 2 minutes). Flip the chicken over then brown the other side. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate, then fry the other two cutlets.
    Chicken ready to flip
  4. To make the sauce, drain out all but a tablespoon of oil, then add the minced scallions. Fry until soft and fragrant. Add the chicken stock, then let this boil down until there is almost no liquid left. Add the lemon juice and honey, then stir in the butter. Turn off the heat, then add the parsley, capers and lemon zest. Pour the sauce of the chicken then serve immediately.
    Chicken Piccata Sauce
  • Guest

    I’m pretty sure Cornholio says “TP”, not Piccata.

    And you didn’t post a recipe?

    • http://norecipes.com Marc Matsumoto

      Do a search on Youtube for “Beavis Piccata” it’s a quote from the 1996 movie “Beavis and Butt-Head Do America”. 

  • http://www.blognewblack.com/ Blog is the New BLack

    Looks wonderful, this dish is a favorite in my house!

  • http://www.facebook.com/megumi.nagumo Megumi Nagumo

    Love your blog! Hey, where’s after “5.”??? 

  • Egg Nacio1

    LOL just watched chopped and you were chopped first haha. nice blog. 

  • http://twitter.com/wcpartyparty Sarah

    Great idea! This reminds me of that jar of capers sitting neglected in my fridge. I, too, am ready for some bright dishes for spring.

  • Sartrus

    I can’t help but notice this blog called ‘no recipes’ seems to have plenty of recipes. Indeed, there’s a button named ‘recipes’ directly under the name. That’s just false advertising.

    Still, great photos and very informative content, so nice job.

    • jon

      Sartrus,

      The meaning of “No Recipes” is Chef Marcs’ philosophy to cook “without any recipes.” All the ones you see on this blog are his own creations and adaptations. 

  • http://www.sellwowaccount.com/ Safelysellwow

    it looks sooooo good!

  • Andrea

    Hi there—how much oil? I didn’t see it in the list of ingredients

    • http://norecipes.com Marc Matsumoto

      Nice catch! I’ve fixed it. The chicken should be shallow fried and you drain off the excess oil at the end so about 3 tablespoons should do. 

  • Ckc

    Are there scallions in this recipe? I don’t see it in the list, but it’s mentioned in step 4.

    • http://norecipes.com Marc Matsumoto

      I really must have been snoozing while typing this one out.  Sorry about that, it’s fixed. 

  • Diana Manning-Squire

    Bravo. Great recipe choice, clarity, simplicity, humor, and . . . images.
    First time on your site; I’ll be back.

  • Pingback: Quick Summer Chicken Piccata

  • Ann

    This is such a great recipe and worked out perfectly! Thanks for posting!

  • http://thesistown.com/ thesis writing

    wow… cool! Thanks!

  • Trace

    I don’t normally use butter.  Is there a substitute, or can I leave it out altogether?  Love this site.  Thank you!!!

    • http://norecipes.com Marc Matsumoto

      You could substitute in margarine, though if you’re not eating butter for health reasons I’m not sure that’s going to be any better for you. Otherwise you could just leave it out altogether. Leaving it out will make the sauce taste different (more sour, less creamy), but it should still be good.

  • http://www.redrocknoodlebar.com.au/our-menu/brisbane-catering/ brisbane catering

    I will try it but i will put 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, i dont like that much strong taste of it.

  • Pingback: The Tuesday Thirteen: Marc Matsumoto {No Recipes} | Mangoes and Chutney

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