Chicken Piccata

This is not a new recipe. I blogged about it about three years ago first but I have so many new followers now and it is such a winner of a recipe I felt I just had to share it again. I have taught this recipe in my classes so many times and it is such a success every time. 

I have refined the recipe a little since then and created a flour free version of it too which it just as tasty. So I will share both versions below. 

It is particularly important to the success of this recipe to use a meat mallet to tenderise the chicken breasts. To read more about this, click here.


Chicken Piccata
Serves 4 
4 chicken breast, tenderised
¼ cup of white flour
½ tsp of salt
Seasoning of your choice (I used a pinch of coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli powder)
1 Tbsp olive oil 
1 Tbsp of butter
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
½ a cup of sherry (or white wine with 1 Tbsp of sugar)
1 cup of chicken stock
1 tsp of lemon zest
3 Tbsp of lemon juice
2 Tbsp of brown sugar
2 Tbsp of capers
1 tsp of whole grain mustard
2 Tbsp Italian parsley, finely chopped

Mix up the flour, salt and seasoning. Heat half the oil in a large non stick pan to medium high heat. Coat your tenderised chicken breasts with the flour and fry them until just browning on each side (2 minutes per side max). Add extra oil as needed. Set aside the chicken. 

If there is any burned flour in your pan, clean it out, if not add the butter to the same pan and once it has melted, add the onions and garlic and fry for a minute or two until they turn glassy. Add the sherry, stock, lemon zest and juice, capers, mustard and sugar. Allow this to simmer and reduce by about a 1/3. Then add the chicken breasts and parsley to the sauce and simmer until heated through.   

If making this ahead of time. Leave the chicken and sauce separate until ready for use. Then heat the sauce, add the chicken and parsley, and simmer until the chicken is heated through. 

For garnish add lemon slices and extra capers like you can see in the picture.



Chicken Piccata (flour free)
Serves 4 

1 Tbsp of olive oil
½ tsp of salt
¼ tsp of pepper
1 tsp of fresh herbs, finely chopped
Seasoning of your choice (I used a pinch of coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli powder)
4 chicken breasts, tenderised 
2 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp garlic, peeled and finely chopped
½ a cup of sherry (or white wine with 1 Tbsp of sugar)
1 cup of strong chicken stock
1 tsp of lemon zest
3 Tbsp of lemon juice  
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp of capers
2 tsp of whole grain mustard
1 Tbsp Italian parsley, finely chopped 

Combine half the oil and all the seasoning. Heat the other half of the oil in a large pan to medium high heat.  Cover the chicken breasts with the seasoning and fry them until browning on each side (2 minutes per side max). Set aside the chicken. 

Add the butter to the same pan and once it has melted add the onions and garlic and fry for a few minutes until they turn glassy. Then add the sherry, stock, lemon zest and juice, capers, mustard and sugar. Allow this to simmer and reduce the sauce by ½, then add the chicken breasts and parsley to the sauce and simmer for a further minute.  

For garnish add lemon slices and extra capers like you can see in the picture.