TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Piccata di Pollo al LimoneLemon Chicken Piccata
A familiar meat dish adapting veal scaloppine to chicken breast. Piccata means piquant in Italian. The breast is pounded thin, seared quickly and finished with lemon, caper and butter sauce. A useful Italian family dish whose entire preparation takes less than 10 minutes.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.
Ingredients (4 servings)
- Chicken breastSplit each 1 breast horizontally into 2 pieces (8 in total); pound between plastic wrap to 5 mm thick.600 g (4 breasts)
- Pesticide-free lemonUse the juice and slices for garnish.2 pieces
- Capers in saltRinse off the salt with water.30 g
- Unsalted butterUse cold to emulsify the sauce.60 g
- Cake flourCoat the meat to help it brown.60 g
- Chicken brothFor the sauce; commercial consommé is acceptable.80 ml
- Flat-leaf parsley, chopped1 bunch
- Extra virgin olive oil30 ml
Method
Pound and flour the chicken
- 1 Split 4 chicken breasts horizontally to halve their thickness.
- 2 Place between plastic wrap and pound evenly to 5 mm thick with a meat mallet or the bottom of a bottle.
- 3 Season with salt and pepper, coat both sides with 60 g flour and shake off excess.
Caution
Uneven thickness causes uneven cooking. Pound evenly.
Sear the chicken
- 1 Heat 30 ml olive oil in a frying pan over high heat.
- 2 Add the chicken in batches and cook for 2–3 minutes per side until golden, then remove.
Ready when
Remove when both sides are golden and the meat is white throughout.
Caution
Cook in batches, not all at once.
Make the sauce base
- 1 Add 80 ml chicken broth and the juice of 1 lemon to the same pan and reduce over high heat for 1–2 minutes.
- 2 Add 30 g capers.
Ready when
Continue when the sauce has reduced slightly.
Emulsify with butter
- 1 Return the chicken to the pan.
- 2 Cut 60 g cold butter into small pieces and add gradually, shaking the pan to emulsify the sauce.
Ready when
The sauce is ready when thick and creamy.
Caution
Use the butter cold. Warm butter will separate rather than emulsify.
Garnish with parsley and lemon
- 1 Scatter with parsley and garnish with lemon slices.
Caution
Eat immediately, as the sauce separates over time.
About this dish
Piccata is a category of dish found throughout Italy. It originally uses veal scaloppine, or thin slices of meat, but the chicken breast version has become widespread in home cooking. Piccata derives from the Italian piccare, to prick or stimulate, describing how the acidity and saltiness of lemon and capers stimulate the tongue.
Flouring the meat before cooking serves several purposes. It helps browning, and the flour on the bottom of the pan later thickens the sauce. The remaining flour combines with chicken broth and lemon juice to create natural body, with no need for cornstarch or cream.
Capers come packed in salt or vinegar. Salt-packed capers have fuller flavor, but even when rinsed their saltiness is strong, so the seasoning needs adjusting at the end.
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