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cooking chicken piccata in a cast iron skillet
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4.67 from 15 votes

Lemon Chicken Piccata

Lemon Chicken Piccata is a one-pan dish with a fresh twist. Charred sweet and sour lemon slices give seared chicken big lemon flavor and the light, creamy pan sauce is great over pasta.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Main Dish
Keyword: Chicken Recipe, easy dinner, one pan meal
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
Cost: $10.00

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Shallow Baking Dish
  • Large Skillet

Ingredients

  • 2 Lemons, sliced thinly
  • 4 cloves Garlic, cut into very thick slices or halved length-wise
  • 2 tsp Sugar
  • 1 lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, halved and pounded thin
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1/2 cup+ 1 Tbsp Flour, divided
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil, divided
  • 2 Shallots, Diced
  • 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
  • 1/2 cup Dry White Wine (sub chicken stock)
  • 1 cup Low-Sodium Chicken Stock
  • 3 Tbsp Butter
  • 2 Tbsp Capers, drained and rinsed
  • 2 Tbsp Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped

Instructions

  • Toss lemon slices and garlic in sugar. Set aside.
  • Slice chicken breasts in half, place between two pieces of plastic, and pound to about 3/4 inches thick (no need to be precise, just make sure all of the chicken pieces are about even thickness). Season chicken pieces on both sides with salt and black pepper.
  • Place 1/2 cup flour in a shallow baking dish.
  • Heat the largest skillet you have over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Working quickly, dredge each piece of chicken in flour, shake off the excess, and place the chicken in the hot pan (if it won't all fit in a single layer, cook the chicken in batches). Cook on both sides until deep golden brown and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes total. Set chicken aside and return pan to heat.
  • Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to heated pan and then lemon slices and garlic. Saute until garlic is fragrant and lemons are starting to turn golden in spots, 1 to 2 minutes (watch it closely and remove it from heat if the garlic starts to turn brown). Pour charred lemons and garlic back into the bowl they were marinating in and return pan to heat.
  • Add shallots and oregano to heated pan. Cook until shallots are tender, ~1 minute. Add 1 Tbsp flour and stir until no dry spots of flour remain. Add white wine and stock to pan, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Increase heat to bring sauce to a simmer. Simmer until sauce reduce by half, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter and capers until butter melts.
  • Return chicken pieces to pan and spoon sauce over top. Pour lemons and garlic over top and sprinkle with parsley.
  • Serve over spaghetti or rice.

Notes

Inspiration for the Charred Lemons came from Cooking Light.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 461kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 923mg | Potassium: 667mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 465IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 3mg