This recipe is a classic Italian-American dish featuring tender, pan-seared chicken breasts simmered in a tangy lemon-butter sauce with capers. The dish is typically served with pasta or a light vegetable side, making it a bright and flavorful meal. Its balance of savory, citrusy, and briny flavors makes it a favorite for both weeknight dinners and special occasions.
As with all of my recipes, I encourage you to cook with intention and personal taste in mind. The quantities provided serve as a solid foundation, offering a starting point for you to build upon. Feel free to adjust seasonings or spice levels to suit your preferences—each dish is an opportunity for creative expression, and I often find myself making small tweaks each time I cook.
Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts | 4 large
- Seasoned Meat Tenderizer | 2 tablespoons
- Butter | 8 - 10 tablespoons
- Olive Oil | 2 - 4 tablespoons
- Lemon Juice | juice of 2 lemons
- Lemon Zest | zest from 2 lemons
- Brined Capers | 4 tablespoons
- White Onion | 1 small, finely chopped
- Chicken Broth | 1 cup +/-
- Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 cup +/-
- Fresh Parsley | for garnish
- Grated Parmesan Cheese | for garnish
Dredge
- All-purpose Flour | 1 1/2 cups | for dredge
- Garlic Powder | 2 tablespoons | for dredge
- Onion Powder | 2 tablespoons | for dredge
- Dried Oregano | 2 tablespoons | for dredge
- Dried Basil | 2 tablespoons | for dredge
- MSG | 1 teaspoon | for dredge
- Salt & Pepper | to taste | for dredge
Instructions
- Butterfly the chicken breasts to make 8 thinner cutlets. Trim off any fat. Use a hammer to pound out the chicken to 1/4" or less. Season the chicken generously with meat tenderizer. Place into a bag and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
- Assemble dredge into a ziplock bag or shallow baking dish for easy access to coating chicken.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 - 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan to coat fully.
- Dredge individual chicken cutlets fully through the dredge mixture and then cook in the pan for 4 - 5 minutes per side, until they are golden. Remove cooked chicken from pan to a plate. As you are cooking the chicken, add additional butter and olive oil as needed to keep the pan lubricated.
- Add additional butter and onion to the pan and saute until soft.
- Add chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest 2 more tablespoons of butter and capers to the pan and scrape up all of the browned bits.
- Gently sprinkle in 1 - 2 tablespoons of dredge flour, mixing thoroughly as you add it to prevent clumping.
- Once the sauce is bubbling, let simmer to reduce for 5 - 7 minutes.
- Add in cream slowly, mixing and incorporating as you go. Use more or less to get to the desired color (see picture above for reference).
- Replace chicken back into the pan and let it warm back up in the sauce.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese if desired.
