Over the years I’ve had a lot of versions of Chicken Piccata. I remember my Nana made this dish with veal on the holidays. Veal is really expensive and can be hard to find so I’m using chicken. Honestly, I prefer chicken.

Chicken Piccata is perfect on its own. I’m going a step further and serving my Chicken Piccata Over Fettuccine. I love the way the pasta absorbs the lemony sauce.

Okay, let’s get started.

 

 

 

 

 

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yields: 4 servings
Equipment: 1 rimmed baking sheet pan with wire rack, 1 (12-inch sauté pan or large (12-inch) deep sided rondeau pan, chef’s knife, Microplane, 1 (2-cup) liquid measuring cup, 1 and 1/2 cup measuring cups for flour, wooden spoon, hand-held juicer, optional, 1 (6-quart) stock pot for pasta, meat-safe cutting board, tongs, 1 small mixing bowl, 1 large mixing bowl, 3 small condiment bowls

Ingredients:
3 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut in half, then cut in half lenghthwise
5 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
1 teapsoon of fresh ground black pepper
3 lemons, 1 both ends cut off, sliced in half, then slices into very thin slices (refer to pictures aboves), 2 juiced for 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of freshly grated garlic, around 3 cloves
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of finely minced shallot, around 2 to 3 shallots
2 cups of chicken stock, unsalted (substitute unsalted chicken broth)
3 tablespoons of butter, cold and unsalted
2 tablespoons of capers
1 heaping cup of quartered artichoke hearts, packed in water, drained well, optional
1/4 cup of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 (16-ounce) box of Fettuccine, optional

Directions:
I start by preparting the chicken. Lay out the 3 chicken breasts on a meat-safe cutting board and cut them in half. Take each half and cut across lengthwise, giving you 2 cutlets per half. You’ll end up with 12 cutlets total. Transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper. Toss all the chicken until coated with the seasoning. Set aside for 10 minutes allowing the chicken to absorb the salt.

In the meantime gather all the ingredients you’re going to need for the dish.

Prepare a bowl with all-purpose flour. Dredge the chicken cutlets into the flour, shaking off any excess. Transfer the floured chicken cutlets to the rimmed baking sheet pan fitted with the wire rack. Set aside.

Next, start grating the garlic. Move on to slicing 1 lemon. Squeeze 3 tablespoons of lemon juice into a small bowl Mince the shallots, add the chicken stock into a measuring cup. Have the artichokes, capers and butter ready to add to the dish when it’s time.

Note: It’s important to cook chicken cutlets in 2 batches. You do not want to crowd the pan.

Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a large pan. Over medium-high heat, allow the oil to come up to temperature. You’ll see the oil start to shimmer. Add half the floured chicken cutlets to the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side before flipping. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes on the second side. Transfer the first batch to a large plate before repeating the process with the second batch using another 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Again, transfer the cooked cutlets and add them to the others on the plate.

In the same pan, still over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the minced shallots stirring and scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the shallots soft, around 2 to 3 minutes. Once softened, add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute more.

Next, pour in the chicken stock, continue scraping the bits up from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium, add the lemon juice, lemon slices, and capers, stir to combine. Simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the heat off.

Remove the pan from the heat, before *mounting the butter”. Add the pieces (3 tablespoons) of cold butter. Swirl the pan steadily allowing the butter to emulsify slowly. 

In a large pot of boiling salted water, drop the pasta. Follow the directions on the box for cooking time. Cook until al dente.

Transfer all the chicken cutlets back into the pan gently nestling each of them into the sauce. Arrange the artichoke hearts throughout the pan as seen above. Add the finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley. Cover to keep hot.

Add the cooked pasta into serving bowls. Add 3 cutlets to the top of the each serving. Evenly distribute the sauce over each serving. Garnish with a sprig of fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley on each dish. Serve immediately.

There you have it, my Chicken Piccata Over Fettuccine.

Note: If you were serving the Chicken Piccata by itself. Arrange the cooked chicken cutlets onto a large serving platter and pour all the sauce over the top.

*Mounting The Butter: To do this, hold the pan by the handle off the heat source and gently rotate in a circular motions to swirl the butter into the sauce. This is called “mounting” with butter. The sauce thickens and takes on a slightly velvety sheen.

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