Whether you get your recipes from bestselling cookbooks, Food Network reruns or scrolling through social media, we’re willing to bet you’ve seen a few delicious recipes from our pal, Giada De Laurentiis.
We’re always happy to lean on Giada forcooking tips,Mediterranean diet insightsandtravel itineraries, plus stunningly tasty recipes that always have us coming back for more. (Just try thisSpaghetti with Rosemary & Lemon, if you need an example.) De Laurentiis just made our lives a little easier and more savory with herChicken Piccatarecipe, which she says is one of her most requested recipes. Considering it’s ready in just 20 minutes, it’s easy to understand why folks love it.
Piccata is a classic Italian chicken or veal dish, although the lemon-caper butter sauce can apply to all kinds of protein sources—we love ourSalmon PiccataandShrimp Piccata with Zucchini Noodlesriffs. Giada’s version requires chicken breasts, all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, reduced-sodium chicken broth, lemon juice, capers and fresh parsley, plus standard kitchen staples like salt, pepper and olive oil.
Giada opts for skinless chicken breasts for this recipe but clarifies that a cut of chicken with the skin on would also work, if that’s your preference. Leaving the skin on will definitely add more flavor to just about any dish, and Giada suggests being especially generous with the salt and pepper if you’re going to leave it out.
Giada: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for NYCWFF. Lemon Chicken Piccata: EVA KOLENKO.
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When the butter and olive oil are just beginning to sizzle, add the chicken to the pan and cook just until golden before flipping—it should take about three minutes per side. When they’re finished, set the chicken breasts on a plate and start making your sauce in the very same skillet. Add the broth, lemon juice and capers to the pan and bring the mixture up to a boil over medium-high heat. As it boils, scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, also known as the fond, so you don’t lose a bit of flavor. Add the chicken back to the pan and let the broth mixture boil as the chicken finishes cooking.
You can use a meat thermometer to figure out when the chicken is done—165°F is the safe minimum internal temperature for a chicken breast. But if you’d rather eyeball it, Giada recommends pressing a finger against the chicken to see if it seems cooked through. Cooked chicken will be firm, not springy, so let it cook a little longer if it gives underneath your finger. When the chicken is cooked through, add a little more butter to the sauce for a glossier finished product. When that last bit of butter is combined, transfer the chicken to a platter and pour the sauce over the top, then sprinkle with parsley.
“I love it because it’s so lemony,” De Laurentiis says after taking a bite. “And the chicken stays so moist with all the sauce—it’s chicken heaven.”
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Since this chicken comes together in no time, you could easily pair it up with a fun side salad, like ourAvocado Caprese SaladorCaesar Salad with Crispy Artichokes. The only trick to this recipe is making sure you have plenty to go around—we have a feeling everyone will want a taste of this super-simple meal.
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