It’s amazing how I’ve never tried nor made chicken piccata before. I wasn’t even sure what a chicken piccata was. I had only heard about it in a Friends episode where Chandler gets freaked out about commitment when Janice put half her chicken piccata on his plate and then take all his tomatoes.

But when I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman, I couldn’t wait to try it. It’s a simple weekday dinner recipe that takes less than 30 minutes. It’s as simple as this: the chicken breasts are dredged in flour and then fried in a bit of butter and olive oil. Then they’re topped off with this tangy, lemony sauce made with simple ingredients like wine, chicken broth, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and heavy cream.

Serve this alongside with some angel hair pasta and dinner is set. Yes, it’s that easy. And delicious.

Chicken Piccata (adapted from Pioneer Woman):

Yields 4 servings

  • 4 boneless, skinless thin sliced chicken breasts
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  •  3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
  • 1 pound angel hair pasta

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, to taste.

Working one at a time, dredge each chicken breast in the flour; shake to remove excess flour.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook, in two batches, until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Add the wine, chicken broth and lemon juice to the skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half.

Stir in the cream until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste. (If the sauce has too much of a tang, try adding more broth or cream.)

Stir in the parsley.

Serve immediately, with the pasta alongside the chicken, both topped with the sauce and garnished with parsley, if desired.