Spicy Chicken Piccata
Main CourseItalian
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about
- 1-1 1/4 pounds)
- Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed or
- canola, plus more
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes,
- 1 lemon, very thinly sliced, seeds removed
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio
- ½ cup parsley, rough chopped
Directions
- Butterfly the chicken breasts
- Place each thin piece between a folded piece of parchment paper and using a meat pounder (if you’ve got it), pound each breast, aiming for an even thickness (do your best), about ⅛” thick.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper; set aside. Thinly slice four cloves of garlic and finely chop the remaining; set aside.
- Heat two tablespoons of neutral oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering (but not smoking), 1–2 minutes. Add two pieces of chicken to the skillet, pressing each piece gently with tongs or fish spatula to ensure good contact (which = good browning). Cook until deeply golden brown on one side, 2-4 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a plate, and repeat with remaining chicken, adding additional neutral oil as needed.
- Without wiping the skillet, add 2 tablespoons of butter, sliced garlic, and capers. Using a wooden spoon, tongs, or a fish spatula, do your best to scrape up the browned bits (more will come up when you add the wine). Cook, swirling occasionally, until garlic and capers are golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes. Transfer half the garlic and capers to a small bowl; set aside.
- Add ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, half the sliced lemon, and all of the white wine. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid has thickened and reduced by about half, 4-6 minutes.
- With the skillet off the heat, add the last tablespoon of butter, the rest of the sliced lemon, and the finely chopped garlic, swirling the skillet to melt the butter. Spoon over chicken to serve