Chicken piccata has always been one of my favourite dishes, and it really couldn’t be easier to make – even if you don’t have wine!

This dish is made entirely in one pan and, because the chicken is pounded so thin, it cooks incredibly quickly. Once the chicken is browned and delicious, all you need to do is throw together a simple pan sauce and you’re good to go!

It’s a dish that is quick and simple enough for a busy weeknight – and you’re also not going to be doing too much washing up afterwards.

How to Make Chicken Piccata Without Using Wine

To begin with, this recipe is pretty similar to my chicken marsala (but it’s easier!). And just like in that recipe, I like to start with fortifying a bit of chicken stock with some gelatin. This really adds to the finished mouthfeel and thickness of the sauce.

All you need to do is add some chicken stock to a small bowl or measuring jug and sprinkle a bit of powdered gelatin over it. Set it aside to hydrate while you get everything else together.

Then, pound out some boneless, skinless chicken breasts to about 5mm-1cm thickness. Season then generously on both sides with salt and pepper and then dredge them in some plain flour.

Add a bit of neutral oil to a large skillet and set it over medium-high heat. If you can, please don’t use a non-stick skillet as you need a little bit of sticking and fond collection in order to make a really good pan sauce.

Once the oil is shimmering and just shy of smoking, add the chicken (you may need to work in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan) and cook on one side until it’s golden and releases easily before flipping and cooking on the other side. This will take about 2-3 minutes per side.

Set the chicken aside on a paper-towel-lined plate or tray until ready to serve.

Once the chicken is done, reduce the heat and add a finely diced shallot along with a generous pinch of salt.

Cook until it’s softened – only a couple of minutes – before adding in some garlic and a few strips of lemon zest that you’ve removed with a vegetable peeler.

Cook this all until everything is fragrant before adding in your chicken stock mixture. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom the pan and bring everything to a simmer.

Then, whisking constantly, add in a bit of cold butter, one pat at a time.

Once all of the butter is added, add in some capers, some lemon juice, a splash of sherry vinegar, a touch of fish sauce and a bit of fresh parsley.

The vinegar and fish sauce add a little bit of something extra to the sauce – something that wine would generally add without using any alcohol.

Now, add the chicken back into the pan just to heat it all the way through. Then, all you have to do is serve and enjoy!

This si particularly good with a vegetable side like roasted asparagus or sauteed greens. I also like to serve some orzo, much like in my Mediterranean shrimp.

Chicken Piccata Without Wine

This one-pan meal is ready incredibly quickly and is super delicious. Bright and punchy with lots of capers and lemons, there is no need for wine!

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Servings 2

Prep Time 5

Total Time 25

Ingredients

180 ml (¾ cup) chicken stock (see note 1)
5 g (1 ¼ tsp) powdered gelatin
350 g (12 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to an even 1cm (½in) thickness
125 g (1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 shallot minced
2 cloves garlic minced
3-4 strips lemon zest removed from lemon with a vegetable peeler
30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter chilled, cut into 6 pieces
2 tbsp capers drained & rinsed
30 ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley chopped

Instructions

Add the stock to a small bowl or measuring jug and sprinkle the gelatin over the top of it. Set aside until needed.
Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the flour to a shallow bowl and dredge both sides of the chicken, ensuring it's completely covered, shake off any excess flour and set aside on a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
Add 2 tbsp of neutral oil to a large skillet (see note 2) and set over medium-high heat. Once just shy of smoking, add the chicken and cook on one side until it's browned, golden and releases easily from the bottom of the pan – about 2-3 minutes, before flipping and repeating on the other side. Remove from the pan and set on a paper towel-lined plate.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallot along with a generous pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 2 minutes, before adding the garlic and lemon zest strips. Cook until fragrant, another 30 seconds.
Pour over the stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for a few minutes, just to thicken the sauce a bit,
Whisking constantly, add the butter one piece at a time, ensuring that one piece melts comletely before adding the next. Stir in the capers, lemon juice, sherry vinegar, fish sauce and parsley. Taste to adjust for seasoning, adding salt and pepper where needed.
Add the chicken back into the pan and allow to warm through before serving, topping with more parsley if desired.

Notes

I use unsalted chicken stock in all my recipe development as it allows me to control the amount of salt going into the dish.
If possible, do not use a non-stick pan. Fond collection (browned bits on the bottom of the pan) is essential to building the pan sauce and not something possible without a little bit of sticking. I like stainless steel for this recipe.