Twisted Chicken Piccata

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Crisp and juicy pan-fried chicken, topped with a tangy sauce and then stacked over creamy polenta? This is a Chicken Piccata recipe I can get behind.

I’m sitting here searching for words to describe this absolutely fantastic dinner that we just ate. Wow. (Apparently, I’m truly gifted with words tonight.) I’ve eaten chicken piccata at different restaurants. I’ve made chicken piccata at home. But it has never tasted like this in the past.

Twisted Chicken Piccata

This is a fantastic classic Chicken Piccata recipe, with a surprising ingredient twist. My whole family really enjoyed this meal and it has already been requested again.

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The first time I made this meal, I served this chicken with this Baked Polenta and it was so good, I’ve served it the same way ever since.

Chicken Piccata can be as simple or elaborate a meal as you like. This recipe takes about an hour to make, so it walks the line between the two.

I love a quick and easy twenty-minute meal as much as the next person, but sometimes, breading and pan-frying a piece of chicken is absolutely worth a few extra minutes. It isn’t difficult at all, it simply takes a few extra minutes.

Can you guess the surprise ingredient in this Chicken Piccata Recipe??

Chicken Piccata Recipe

More than a few years ago, I participated in a group called the Secret Recipe Club. We’d choose a recipe from someone else’s blog, cook it, and then share it on ours.

My husband chose this recipe from my Secret Recipe Club blog assignment Delishhh and it was such a great find!

I love it when there’s an unexpected ingredient in a recipe. So, what gives this recipe the unexpected twist? Soy sauce! No kidding.

When I stumbled onto this recipe, I did a double-take. Soy Sauce in an Italian recipe?

Chicken Piccata - like you've never had before!

Yes, and it is FANTASTIC. You’ll do a quick marinade of the chicken in soy sauce while prepping the other ingredients.

The soy sauce works its magic and produces an underlying flavor that couldn’t possibly be beaten. I’m already looking forward to making this Chicken Piccata recipe again.

Chicken Piccata Sauce

What Does Piccata Mean?

Piccata simple means cooked in a sauce of lemon, parsley and butter. That’s all. And it’s pretty much guaranteed to be delicious every single time.

How To Make this Chicken Piccata Recipe

Place your chicken breasts in a gallon-size freezer strength ziploc bag, one at a time, and pound them to an even 1/4″ thickness. (If the pieces are exceptionally large, cut each one half and then pound to an even thickness.)

Once they have all been thinned as much as possible, place them all back into the ziploc bag and add the soy sauce, ½ cup of olive oil, salt and pepper. Seal the bag and let the chicken rest on the counter for 10-30 minutes.

Just dip, coat, and cook the chicken!

Place two separate bowls next to your stove. In the first one, whisk the two eggs together. In the second one, combine the bread crumbs and the flour. Heat the remaining ½ cup of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

When the butter has melted and the mixture is hot, start making the chicken by dipping each piece first in the egg and then in the flour mixture, being sure to press it into the chicken on each side.

Place each breaded piece right into the frying pan. I was able to cook two at a time in the pan. Brown well on each side, about 3 minutes per side.

Brown well on each side before flipping the chicken over - recipe for Twisted Chicken Piccata

Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve to a plate. Tent the cooked chicken with foil to stay warm while you prepare the sauce. (You can also place the covered chicken plate in the oven to keep warm if you would like. I found that mine stayed warm enough simply tented with the foil.)

Add the sliced mushrooms and 3 tablespoons of butter into the frying pan that you just used. Saute the mushrooms over medium heat for 5 minutes. Then add the wine, lemon juice and capers to the pan.

Use a spatula to scrape up all of the brown bits and then let the sauce simmer for a few minutes while it reduces by half. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and stir to combine.

Plate the chicken and pour the sauce over the top. Top with fresh parsley if desired.

Best Ever Chicken Piccata - can you guess the surprise ingredient?

Try serving this with Caramelized Brussels Sprouts or an Asparagus, Bacon, Corn, and Sweet Potato Skillet!

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Best Ever Chicken Piccata - can you guess the surprise ingredient?

Twisted Chicken Piccata

5 from 1 vote
Crisp and juicy chicken with an irresistible lemon butter sauce. Recipe adapted from and with thanks to Delishhh
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 5 servings

Ingredients 

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts approximately 2 lbs total
  • 1 cup olive oil divided
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 8 tablespoons butter divided
  • 10 oz mushrooms sliced
  • 1 cup dry white wine I used a chardonnay
  • 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice I used two large lemons
  • 1/4 cup capers, rinsed
  • optional: ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

  • Place your chicken breasts in a gallon size freezer strength ziploc bag, one at a time, and pound them to an even 1/4″ thickness. Once they have all been thinned as much as possible, place them all back into the ziploc bag and add the soy sauce, ½ cup of olive oil, salt and pepper. Seal the bag and let the chicken rest on the counter for 10-30 minutes.
  • Place two separate bowls next to your stove. In the first one, whisk the two eggs together. In the second one, combine the bread crumbs and the flour. Heat the remaining ½ cup of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter has melted and the mixture is hot, start making the chicken by dipping each piece first in the egg and then in the flour mixture, being sure to press it into the chicken on each side. Then place each piece right into the frying pan. I was able to cook two at a time in the pan.
  • Brown well on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve to a plate. Tent the cooked chicken with foil to stay warm while you prepare the sauce. (You can also place the covered chicken plate in the oven to keep warm if you would like. I found that mine stayed warm enough simply tented with the foil.)
  • Add the sliced mushrooms and 3 tablespoons of butter into the frying pan that you just used. Saute the mushrooms over medium heat for 5 minutes. Then add the wine, lemon juice and capers to the pan.
  • Use a spatula to scrape up all of the brown bits. Increase the heat to medium high and then let the sauce simmer for a few minutes while it reduces by half. (The brown bits will darken the sauce.) Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and stir to combine. Plate the chicken and pour the sauce over the top. Top with fresh parsley if desired. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 474kcal · Carbohydrates: 20g · Protein: 28g · Fat: 28g · Saturated Fat: 14g · Cholesterol: 171mg · Sodium: 1976mg · Potassium: 646mg · Fiber: 2g · Sugar: 3g · Vitamin A: 694IU · Vitamin C: 3mg · Calcium: 67mg · Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

{originally published 11/7/11 – recipe notes and photos updated 2/21/20}

Chicken Piccata - like you've never had before!

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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  1. Janeen says

    This looks amazing! Lynn Rossetto Kaspar talks about a certain chemical property that's naturally present in soy sauce, fish sauce, even mushrooms (and of course I'm blanking on it) that kicks up flavor. My guess is that's what's going on here. This looks like a treat.

  2. EcoCatLady says

    Wow! This looks amazing. So forgive my ignorance, but what do you use to pound the chicken? Just a regular hammer or some sort of mallet? I'd be sort of afraid I'd break the plastic bag.

    And… I haven't yet figured out how to come up with some sort of breading… I'm allergic to yeast so I can't use bread crumbs. Do you think that corn meal might work? Any suggestions?

  3. Becki's Whole Life says

    I love Soy Sauce….every once in a while you do see it in something non-asian ike this dish. What an interesting twist here with the picata. I will put this on my list too! I have some capers in my fridge and what better to use them with than a picata…I can't wait to read your polenta recipe, too.

  4. Chris says

    I love chicken piccata and it was one of the first things Trevor learned to make when he was 9 or 10.

    This does have a twist. I think my eyebrows raised and my head went back when I saw the soy sauce listed. Will have to give it a try based on your recommendation.

  5. ChaCha says

    Tried this tonight. Sorry, didn’t like it. Too much going on for what should be a simple yet elegant, easy tasty dish. I’ll stick to my go to. Lemon juice, Chicken stock/white wine, capers and parsley. Some recipes can be tweaked but why mess with a good thing.

    • Mary Younkin says

      It’s a favorite here, but I can appreciate that not everyone might enjoy the extra flavor. The classics are just that for a reason, right? They’re always delicious.

  6. Hamilton, Daisy says

    I really, really loved this recipe. I prepared this today, as written using unseasoned panko bread crumbs. My husband has not stopped complimenting me. I am sending this recipe to my sisters and my children.5 stars