In the early days of my marriage, when I was pregnant with our first child, I had a daily ritual of cleaning the entire house each day from baseboards to ceiling (nesting, anyone?) and then watching the food channels for dinner inspiration.
My husband is Italian, so I learned how to cook from Giada, Emeril, and Mario.
Of course, back then I also managed to shower daily, keep the house spotless, prepare meals that took hours to make, and be dressed and wearing make-up before my husband got home… it’s amazing how efficient one can be when using both hands.
Anyway, one recipe I often saw on cooking shows but never got around to making back then was chicken piccata. (This is also due to a bad citrus experience early in one of my pregnancies that left a lingering repulsion for citrus flavored meats… thankfully, it’s finally gone.)
A few months ago, a friend mentioned making chicken piccata and I decided that it was worth a try. I did not like citrus flavors in meat at all before this and I really, really liked this variation. It’s also really fast to make and is even great cold! Plus, it sounds fancy :-). Try this chicken piñata (as my kids call it…)
Chicken Piccata Recipe (Gluten Free!)
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ tsp Himalayan salt (or sea salt)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp water
- ½ cup unsalted butter (or coconut oil)
- ½ cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
- 1 lime (or lemon)
Garnishes for Serving (optional)
- fresh parsley (chopped)
- capers
- feta (crumbled)
- Parmesan cheese (shredded)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (this is just to keep the chicken warm).
- Butterfly the chicken by cutting in half lengthwise.
- Flatten using a meat hammer or the bottom of a cast iron skillet until the chicken is about ¼ to ½ inch thick.
- Mix the almond flour and spices together on a plate.
- In a bowl, beat the eggs with the water until frothy.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, then into the almond mixture, and then back into the egg quickly.
- Place chicken in the butter in the heated skillet and cook 3-4 minutes per side until browned and no longer pink on the inside. It may take two rounds to fit all the chicken. Use another 2 tablespoons of butter for the second round.
- Remove chicken and keep warm in the oven on a baking sheet.
- Add the wine or broth to the pan to de-glaze.
- Cut the lime or lemon in half and squeeze one half into the pan with the wine/broth.
- Thinly slice the other half.
- If using capers, drain them and add to the sauce now.
- Reduce the mixture by about half and then add in the remaning butter until melted.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and drizzle some of the sauce over each piece.
- Top each piece with fresh parsley and Parmesan or feta cheese (optional).
- Garnish with a thinly sliced piece of lime.
Nutrition
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Alternate Ending: Instead of reducing the sauce in step 12, you can add about ½ pound of spinach and saute until it is wilted and then serve the chicken on top of a bed of wilted spinach with some freshly squeezed lime juice on top.
Ever had chicken piccata? Do you make it differently? Let me know below!
I just made this for dinner tonight, and it was outstanding! My toddler and teenagers alike thought it was great. I’m so glad I have your cookbook! We served it over zucchini noodles and it turned out wonderful, but I’m going to try it with the spinach next time.
Keep up the excellent work!
Looks so yummy! For those with egg allergies, I have found kefir or buttermilk with a tsp of gelatin and tsp of 1 of the following: tapioca, arrowroot or cassava to work very well for “breading” in place of eggs. Alternatively, Bob’s Red mill egg replacer works well.
This was delicious and easy to make! Used lemons bc thats how we always did it in my crazy Italian family. Didnt use all the butter so the sauce wasn’t as thick as it could have been but still delicious. Can’t wait for the leftovers!
I have loads of chard in the garden right now, might do this tonight and wilt in the chard instead of spinach…colors should be lovely!
Had this for dinner tonight. It was amazing! Even my 4-year-old, who is incredibly picky, said, “Yum, this is my favorite meal!” Will definitely be making this on a regular basis. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
I’m a BIG Chicken Piccata fan, and this recipe looks DELISH!
Thanks for sharing!
So fun to meet you today at the likeability session at Blissdom (I was sitting to your left at the fashion table….major bangs, long flowy floral maxi : )).
Your little girl is a doll and a super well-behaved baby! : )
I made it last week with coconut flour – it was kind of gritty, and the flour burned really quickly in my pan! We can’t use almond flour due to nut allergies… so I’m thinking I’ll work with un-floured pieces in the future. Or… do you think arrow root might work? Just grasping at straws here… we love the flavor so much that I think we’ll be OK without dredging the chicken in anything.
You can use half and half arrowroot and coconut flour and cook over lower temp for twice as long and it shouldn’t burn, but un-breaded is great too 🙂
This sounds delish, a keeper for sure.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks. I am going to try this for dinner tonight. My guy is obsessed with two things: chicken and lime. This should be a hit.
i made this last week and it is definitely a favorite around here