From the roundup: 16 Easy Skillet Chicken Dinner Recipes for Busy Weeknights
Four thin chicken cutlets barely stretch to feed all seven of us, so I always start with at least six boneless breasts and pound every single one to a half inch before they hit the pan. Chicken piccata with capers and white wine sounds restaurant-fancy, but the whole thing is done in under 30 minutes, which matters on the nights when everyone is already circling the kitchen asking what smells good. The one mistake I made early on was skipping the pounding step and searing whole, thick breasts instead. The thin end dried out before the thick end cooked through, and the sauce could not save it, so now the mallet comes out every single time without exception.
Why you will love this
- One skillet from start to finish, which means less cleanup on a weeknight
- The sauce comes together in the same pan after the chicken is done, so nothing goes to waste
- Pounding the cutlets thin means they cook through in 3 to 4 minutes per side, no guessing
- You can swap the white wine for chicken broth and still get a bright, tangy sauce
- Leftovers reheat well in a skillet with a small splash of broth, sauce and all
Tips for success
- Pound the chicken to an even half inch before dredging. Thick spots take longer and the rest dries out waiting for them to catch up.
- Shake off the extra flour before the chicken hits the pan. Too much coating turns gummy in the sauce instead of giving you that light golden crust.
- Don’t crowd the skillet. If both cutlets don’t fit with space between them, cook in two batches. Crowding steams the chicken instead of searing it, and you lose the browned bits you need for the sauce.
- Add the butter at the end off the heat or with the pan barely warm. If the pan is too hot when the last two tablespoons go in, the butter breaks and the sauce looks greasy instead of glossy.
What to serve with it
- Angel hair pasta is the classic move here. It cooks in about 4 minutes and you can time it to finish right when the sauce does.
- Egg noodles work just as well and hold up better if dinner gets delayed by five minutes.
- Roasted asparagus or broccolini alongside keeps it lighter and avoids dirtying a second pot.
- A piece of crusty bread to mop up the extra sauce is never a bad call, especially with this much lemon butter in the pan.
Substitutions
If you’d rather skip the wine, use an equal amount of low-sodium chicken broth plus an extra teaspoon of lemon juice. The sauce won’t have quite the same depth, but it’s still very good. Capers can be swapped for roughly chopped green olives if that’s what you have on hand, same briny effect. Boneless skinless chicken thighs work in place of breasts, though you won’t need to pound them and they’ll take a minute or two longer to cook through.
For a gluten-free version, a light dusting of rice flour or cornstarch in place of all-purpose flour gives you a similar crust without any gumminess. If you have kids who won’t touch anything with visible green bits, you can leave the capers whole and let them pick around, or chop the parsley finely enough that it blends into the sauce.
Make-ahead and storage
You can pound and flour the cutlets up to 4 hours ahead and keep them on a plate, loosely covered, in the refrigerator. Sear and build the sauce right before serving for the best texture. The sauce doesn’t hold well if it sits, so this one is really a last-minute dish once you get to the stove.
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of chicken broth to loosen the sauce. It may look a little separated at first but comes back together with a stir. Freezing isn’t a good idea here because the lemon butter sauce breaks when thawed and doesn’t recover.
Chicken Piccata with Capers and White Wine
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally so you have 4 thinner cutlets. Place each cutlet between two sheets of plastic wrap or in a zip-top bag and pound to an even 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. This step matters because uneven chicken cooks unevenly. Season both sides lightly with salt and pepper.
- Spread the flour in a shallow bowl or on a plate. Dredge each chicken cutlet in the flour, pressing lightly so it coats the surface, then shake off any excess. You want a thin, even coating, not a thick crust. Set the floured cutlets on a clean plate.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the chicken cutlets in a single layer, working in batches if the pan is crowded. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. The internal temperature should hit 165 degrees F. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover loosely with foil.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the same pan and let it melt. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring, until it smells good but has not browned. Pour in the white wine and chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Let the sauce simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until it reduces by about one third.
- Stir in the lemon juice and capers. Taste the sauce and adjust salt if needed. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl the pan or stir until it melts into the sauce and makes it look glossy and slightly thickened.
- Return the chicken cutlets to the pan and spoon the sauce over them. Let everything warm together for about 1 minute. Serve immediately with chopped parsley scattered on top and lemon slices on the side. Angel hair pasta, egg noodles, or roasted asparagus all work well underneath.
Notes
← Back to 16 Easy Skillet Chicken Dinner Recipes for Busy Weeknights