Piccata, Marsala and Parmigiana. These preparations are the “Holy Trinity” of Italian cooking.
I love them all. I order eggplant Parmigiano whenever and wherever I can find it. And I make a wonderful chicken Marsala with lots of mushrooms and butter. But my husband, he is in love with veal piccata.
When Carley’s Ristorante opened on Locust Street in Harrisburg, they offered both veal and chicken prepared in the above three ways. Loving traditional Italian cuisine, we were frequent visitors. I tried almost everything there, but, for my husband, it was always the same: “Veal piccata, light on the sauce.” The servers never had to ask.
It is hard to find much information on the piccata style of cooking. I found information saying that the luscious combination of butter, lemon and spices certainly means that the preparation is Sicilian. But a second source attributes its origins to the northern city of Milan. And most surprising is the theory that preparing food in the “piccata” style began in America.
I make chicken piccata rather than using expensive and, often hard to find, veal. It is very easy to make, but, as always, using the best ingredients results in the best tasting dish. Always use fresh chicken breasts thinly sliced into cutlets, fresh not bottled lemon juice, fresh Italian parsley, real unsalted butter, and don’t omit the capers! When breading any type of meat or chicken, try using Wondra flour. It is fine and light and is less likely to clump and get soggy.
The chicken piccata recipe I have used most often is from Giada De Laurentis in her “Everyday Italian” cookbook. There are piccata recipes online, but they are hard to find elsewhere. No chicken or veal piccata recipes in the “Silver Spoon” cookbook, the bible of Italian cooking. Could it, in fact, have been “born in the USA”?
Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded until thin—or breasts that have been made into cutlets
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Flour for dredging (try Wondra)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup reduced sodium chicken broth or dry white wine
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- ¼ cup drained capers
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian (flat leaf) parsley
Directions
- Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge it in flour to lightly coat it.
- In a large sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Then use tongs to transfer the cutlets to a plate.
- Add the broth or wine, lemon juice and capers to the same pan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Return the chicken to the pan and simmer until just cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a platter.
- Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken and garnish with chopped parsley.
When you have mastered the “piccata process,” you can try making a variety of meats and even fish this way. Swordfish steaks, cut horizontally into thin slices, can be prepared this way, as can flounder or sole filets. If you want to splurge, look for pale pink veal scallopine to serve for a special dinner for two. Pork and turkey cutlets work, too.
My husband would ask for pasta to accompany his chicken piccata, but I would like garlic mashed potatoes and a green vegetable. Garlic bread and a green salad are nice pairings, too. Don’t forget a crisp white wine.
Maybe you are already planning your Thanksgiving and Christmas menus. But I’m hoping you find time to sneak some chicken piccata into your holiday cooking schedule. Your friends and family will think you are a grand chef!
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