If you are looking for a quick and flavorful weeknight dinner, this chicken piccata with creamy polenta is a dish that the whole family will like. Pan-seared chicken cutlets, a bright lemon-butter-caper sauce, and a creamy, velvety polenta make for a delightful dish!
What is Chicken Piccata
“Picatta” refers to very thin, pounded slices of meat, dredged in some flour, then pan-seared and served with a butter-lemon sauce. This dish originated in Italy where it is traditionally made with veal. It is believed that Italian immigrants brought it to America and changed the protein to chicken–a very popular choice of meat as well.
The Ingredients for Chicken Piccata
The simple ingredients for this dish are basic pantry items that most of us usually have on hand. This recipe is a reminder of how the right combination of basic ingredients can produce incredibly flavorful dishes!
- Chicken breasts — two chicken breasts should make four cutlets and serve 4 people
- Lemons — use two small ones if you like the flavor, or, just one medium if you do not
- Capers — use the ones in brine and make sure to rinse them very well
- Olive oil and butter — the former is for cooking the cutlets, the latter is for making the sauce
- Shallot — they add great flavor; use it if you have it
- Wine — a dry wine like a Chardonnay imparts great flavor to the dish as it reduces and most of the alcohol is evaporated
- Stock — use a low sodium chicken stock so you can control your seasoning
- Flour — for dusting on the chicken and help thicken the delicious sauce
The ingredients for the Creamy Polenta
The ingredients for the creamy polenta could not be easier: chicken stock, cornmeal, a little butter, and whatever cheese you have in your refrigerator or that you love. It is that simple! For my recipe I use regular cornmeal that needs a little stirring, and not the instant kind. I find that the taste is much better. When I make this dish, I start the polenta first. Then I stir occasionally while I prepare the chicken piccata which takes about 20 minutes to make!
Variations and Substitutions
- Wine – If you prefer not to use wine, you can substitute for more low sodium chicken stock
- Capers – They add a great briny flavor to the dish, but if you do not like them, you can leave them out
- Shallot – You can substitute for a small red or yellow onion
- Add some cheese – Some recipes call for adding Parmesan cheese to the dredging flour
- Polenta versus Instant Polenta – they are both made by coarse yellow cornmeal, but the regular polenta has much deeper flavor
- 2 small lemons
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 med. boneless, skinless chicken (about 1.5 lbs)
- --- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 med. shallot, minced finely
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 TBSP. small capers, drained and rinsed well
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 3 TBSP. butter, room temperature
- 2 TBSP. fresh parsley, minced
- Trim the end from one of the lemons, slice it into ¼ inch thick slices crosswise, and set aside. Juice the second lemon and reserve.
- To make chicken cutlets, slice each chicken breast in half horizontally, as you want to butterfly them. If the chicken breasts are large, cut each into two pieces after butterflying them. For thicker chicken breasts, after you butterfly them, place them between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them with a meat tenderizer. Sprinkle both sides generously with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow baking dish. Coat each chicken cutlet thoroughly with flour, shake to remove excess, and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a 12” skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook the chicken cutlets, without moving them, until browned on first side; about 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn over the cutlets, cover, and cook until the second side is lightly browned; about 2 minutes longer. Transfer the cutlets to a small plate and keep warm.
- Add the shallot to the empty skillet and lower the heat to medium. Sauté until fragrant, (but not brown); about 1 minute. Add the wine and the capers to the pan and gently swirl, making sure you scrape any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spatula, so you deglaze the skillet. This will take about 3 minutes, at which point most of the wine will be almost completely evaporated.
- To the skillet add the stock and the lemon slices and simmer until the liquid reduces to about ½ a cup.
- Next, add the butter and swirl the skillet until the butter melts and thickens the sauce. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Simmer for a few more minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, turning it over a couple of times. Add the lemon juice (all or half of it, depending on how much you like lemons). Sprinkle with the parsley and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or, 2 cups stock + 2 cups water)
- 1 cup cornmeal/polenta
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 TBSP. butter
- 4 TBSP. Fontina cheese, grated
- 2 TBSP. Parmesan cheese, grated
- In a medium size saucier or saucepan, add the stock (and the water if using) and bring to a simmer over high heat. Slowly mix in the cornmeal, in a constant but gradual stream, whisking constantly.
- Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium-low, while whisking frequently. After 10–15 minutes, switch to a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Continue stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent scorching, until the polenta is no longer grainy and has a creamy consistency. The polenta should be thick and it should almost pull away from the side of the saucepan. This will take a total of about 40-45 minutes.
- Season the polenta with the salt and stir in the butter. At this point, polenta should be nice and smooth but, if it has any lumps, just beat vigorously with a stiff whisk. If the polenta becomes too firm or begins to set before it is ready, add a small amount of water (or stock) and beat it with a whisk until fully incorporated and no lumps remain.
- Turn off the heat and add the Fontina and Parmesan cheeses, mixing well to incorporate. Cover and set it aside until ready to serve. If you won’t serve the polenta right away, scrape it into a container and chill until set; then, cut into pieces for grilling, searing, or frying.
THANK YOU for READING and for FOLLOWING ALONG
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Marilena,
This is week-night easy, but special-occasion fabulous! I think you’ve invented a new category: elegant comfort food!
I especially like the lighter, soft polenta with the tender, lemony chicken –perfect. Thank you for another beautiful post and yet another delicious dish!
– Ratatouille
That is so kind of you, thank you so much for your comment! This recipe is a family favorite, especially for those busy weeknight meals…… Yes, polenta goes so well with it but sometimes we also enjoy it with mashed potatoes!
I am making this tonight!
That’s great, hope you enjoy it Kathy! Such a simple and flavorful recipe!
We had this again tonight and it was just delicious! Your suggestion to start the polenta first and prepare the chicken while the polenta cooks is spot on, Marilena; the timing is perfect. I didn’t have Fontina on hand, so I used Asiago instead and it was fine.. Thanks again for this winning dish, Marilena!
So happy to know that you made it again and liked this recipe so much! It is such a simple and satisfying recipe for a mid-week meal!