Why You’ll Love Piccata Milanese (Piccata Sauce) Recipe
This Piccata Milanese combines crisp, golden chicken with a rich sauce that balances butter, fresh lemon flavor, dry white wine, and briny capers. Pounding the chicken thin allows it to cook quickly and evenly, while the flour, egg, and breadcrumb coating creates a satisfying crust.
Another advantage is how quickly everything comes together. The chicken only needs a brief browning on the stovetop before finishing in the oven, giving you time to prepare the piccata sauce in the same pan. The result is a restaurant-inspired chicken dinner without a complicated cooking process.
Ingredients
(Tip: You’ll find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.)
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Pounded thin so they cook quickly and evenly.
- All-purpose flour: Creates the first layer of the breading and helps the egg adhere to the chicken.
- Salt: Seasons both the chicken and breading.
- Black pepper: Adds mild warmth and savory flavor.
- Egg: Helps bind the breadcrumbs to the chicken.
- Water: Thins the beaten egg slightly for easier coating.
- Italian bread crumbs: Give the chicken its crisp, seasoned exterior.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Used for browning the breaded chicken.
- Butter: Forms the rich base of the piccata sauce.
- Lemon juice: Provides the signature bright, tangy flavor.
- Dry white wine: Adds acidity and depth to the sauce. Choose a dry variety rather than a sweet wine.
- Capers: Add a distinctive salty, briny flavor that complements the lemon and butter.
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment paper. Using a meat mallet or another heavy, flat object, gently pound the chicken until approximately 1/4 inch thick. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Place the flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish and mix until combined.
- In a second shallow dish, beat the egg with the water until evenly blended.
- Add the Italian breadcrumbs to a third shallow dish. Coat each piece of chicken first in the seasoned flour, shaking away any excess. Dip it into the egg mixture, then coat thoroughly with breadcrumbs.
- Warm the extra virgin olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the breaded chicken and cook for about 2 minutes per side, or until the exterior is golden brown. Transfer the browned chicken to a baking dish.
- Place the chicken in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 8 minutes, or until completely cooked through and the center reaches 165°F.
- While the chicken finishes cooking, carefully wipe the sauté pan clean. Melt the butter over medium heat. Increase the heat to high, then add the lemon juice, dry white wine, and capers. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for approximately 2 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by about half.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and spoon the warm piccata sauce over the top. Serve immediately.
Servings and timing
This recipe makes 6 servings and takes approximately 24 minutes from start to finish. Because the chicken is pounded to only 1/4 inch thick, both the stovetop browning and oven cooking stages are relatively quick.
Servings: 6
Total time: 24 minutes
Oven temperature: 400°F
Stovetop browning time: About 4 minutes
Oven cooking time: About 8 minutes
Sauce cooking time: About 2 minutes
Variations
For an extra-lemony Piccata Milanese, add a little finely grated lemon zest to the finished sauce. This increases the citrus aroma without adding significantly more acidity.
For a richer sauce, whisk an additional small piece of cold butter into the sauce after removing the pan from the heat. This creates an especially smooth and glossy finish.
If you prefer to cook without wine, replace the dry white wine with chicken broth. The flavor will be slightly different, but the broth still provides enough liquid to create a delicious lemon-butter sauce.
For a fresh finishing touch, sprinkle chopped Italian parsley over the chicken immediately before serving. Fresh herbs provide color and balance some of the richness of the butter sauce.
You can also serve the chicken over spaghetti or another long pasta. The lemon, butter, wine, and caper sauce works particularly well with pasta and turns the dish into a more substantial meal.
Storage/Reheating
Allow leftover Piccata Milanese to cool before transferring it to an airtight container. Refrigerate the chicken and sauce for up to 3 to 4 days.
For the best texture, consider storing the chicken and piccata sauce separately. Keeping the sauce away from the breading helps prevent the chicken from becoming overly soft while refrigerated.
To reheat the chicken, place it in a 350°F oven until warmed through. An air fryer can also help restore some of the crispness to the breadcrumb coating. Heat the sauce separately over low heat on the stovetop and spoon it over the chicken just before serving.
Microwave reheating is possible when convenience is the priority, although the breadcrumb coating will become softer. Reheat in short intervals until the chicken is thoroughly heated.
FAQs
What is Piccata Milanese?
Piccata Milanese combines thin, breaded chicken cutlets with a tangy piccata-style sauce made from butter, lemon juice, dry white wine, and capers. It offers both the crispy coating associated with Milanese-style preparations and the bright flavors of piccata sauce.
Why should I pound the chicken breasts thin?
Pounding the chicken to approximately 1/4 inch creates pieces of relatively even thickness. This helps them cook quickly and evenly while also providing more surface area for the crispy breadcrumb coating.
What dry white wine works best for piccata sauce?
A crisp, dry white wine is ideal. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and unoaked Chardonnay are all suitable choices. Avoid sweet wines because they can make the finished sauce sweeter than intended.
Can I make Piccata Milanese without wine?
Yes. Chicken broth can replace the dry white wine. The finished sauce will have a somewhat different flavor, but the combination of broth, lemon, butter, and capers still produces a flavorful sauce.
How do I know when the chicken is fully cooked?
The safest way to check is with an instant-read thermometer. Chicken is fully cooked when the thickest part reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Why did my breading fall off the chicken?
Breading can separate when the chicken is excessively wet, too much flour remains on the surface, or the coated chicken is moved repeatedly while cooking. Shake off excess flour and allow each layer of breading to adhere before proceeding to the next.
Can I prepare the chicken ahead of time?
You can pound and bread the chicken in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook. For the crispiest results, brown and bake it shortly before serving.
What can I serve with Piccata Milanese?
Pasta, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, rice, sautéed vegetables, roasted asparagus, green beans, or a simple salad all pair nicely with this dish. Pasta is especially useful for enjoying any extra piccata sauce.
Are capers necessary for piccata sauce?
Capers provide the characteristic salty and briny flavor associated with piccata sauce, so they are highly recommended. However, they can be omitted if you dislike them. The resulting lemon-butter and wine sauce will still complement the breaded chicken.
How can I keep the chicken crispy when serving it with sauce?
Keep the chicken uncovered after baking and wait until immediately before serving to add the piccata sauce. You can also spoon a smaller amount of sauce over each portion and serve additional sauce on the side.
Conclusion
Piccata Milanese is an excellent way to transform simple chicken breasts into a flavorful, restaurant-inspired meal in less than half an hour. The golden breadcrumb coating provides plenty of crunch, while the buttery lemon, white wine, and caper sauce brings brightness and richness to every bite.
With six servings and a total preparation and cooking time of approximately 24 minutes, this recipe works equally well for a quick family dinner or a meal served to guests. Pair it with pasta, potatoes, vegetables, or a fresh salad for a complete and satisfying dinner.
Piccata Milanese (Piccata Sauce)
Crispy breaded chicken cutlets baked until tender and finished with a bright, buttery lemon, white wine, and caper piccata sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Pan Fry and Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Low Calorie
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon capers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of parchment paper and pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Combine flour, salt, and pepper on a shallow plate.
- Beat egg with water and pour onto a second plate.
- Place breadcrumbs on a third plate. Dip chicken into the flour mixture and shake off excess, then dip into the egg mixture and coat with breadcrumbs.
- Warm olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Brown chicken for 2 minutes per side, then transfer to a baking dish.
- Bake chicken for 8 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, wipe the sauté pan clean and melt butter over medium heat. Increase heat to high and add lemon juice, white wine, and capers. Boil for about 2 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced by half.
- Pour the piccata sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.
Notes
- For evenly cooked chicken, pound the breasts to a consistent 1/4-inch thickness.
- Choose a dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc for the sauce.
- Serve with pasta, roasted vegetables, potatoes, or a simple green salad.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 330 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 480 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 105 mg
