Creamy Lemon Chicken Piccata - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between chicken francese and chicken Picatta? ›

Chicken Francaise vs.

Chicken piccata has capers. So for you caper haters out there, the Francaise version is for you. Chicken Francaise is dredged in flour and egg, whereas chicken piccata is dredged only in flour, so the Francaise has a bit more (delightfully) substantial coating.

Piccata, though, is an Italian word meaning larded. It seems to be a translation of the French word pique (sharp, as in piquant). When used in a reference to a way of preparing food (particularly meat or fish) it means sliced and sauteed in a sauce containing lemon, butter, and spices.

Chicken piccata can be served with an array of side dishes. Popular choices include buttery mashed potatoes, angel hair pasta or crisp salad with Italian vinaigrette.

[pikˈkata ] feminine noun. (Cookery) sautéed veal.

Capers can be added to many different types of dishes. They may be included whole, fresh out of the jar or can, or fried for additional texture, or pureed for use in a sauce. We even like them for dip, like in our 3-Ingredient Smoked Fish Dip with Capers. Serve it with baguette slices at your next dinner gathering.

I also found the whole lemon slices included in many traditional recipes left my sauce with a bitter aftertaste from the lemon's pith. To avoid this, but maintain the acidic brightness this dish depends on, I added a bit of white wine to the sauce instead of lemon slices.

For the sauce, use a dry Italian white wine such as Pinot Grigio or Vermentino and have it ready to pour into the pan the minute the garlic turns golden so that nothing burns.

Piccata refers to a sauce (made with lemon, capers, broth, and butter) that's often partnered with chicken, while scallopini refers to the method for preparing the chicken. Chicken scallopini can be finished with piccata sauce, or another sauce.

“Francese and piccata are very similar. The difference between the two is for Francese, the chicken breast is first dipped in flour, then into a beaten egg mixture, before being cooked. For piccata, the chicken is first dipped in egg and then in flour.

Italy

Chicken piccata / Origin

What ethnicity is chicken piccata? ›

The exact origin of this dish is unknown, although it certainly has its roots in Italian cooking. In Italy, it's more common to see veal piccata than chicken piccata, and there's a chance that the use of chicken is an Americanized version of the Italian veal dish.

Broth. Chicken or vegetable broth can be a flavorful replacement for white wine. You can even swap it in equal amounts (go for low-sodium broth so your dish doesn't end up too salty). Just keep in mind that broth won't add any acidity, so you might want to add a touch of white vinegar to achieve a similar tang.

Known for its bright acidity and crisp, refreshing notes, Sauvignon Blanc serves as the perfect foil for the tangy lemon sauce and briny capers of the chicken picatta. The citrusy undertones and herbaceous notes of Sauvignon Blanc harmonize beautifully with the lemony sauce, adding depth and complexity to each bite.

Here are a few general points to keep in mind when choosing chicken piccata wine pairings: Higher acidity wines pair well with high acid and salt dishes such as piccata. If there's a white wine in the sauce, it's likely a good wine to serve with the dish.